Survival Games
by systematic-alchemy
Summary: There are no soft vampires. Not anymore. The game has begun, and Willow's the prize. Can Buffy save her best friend, or will Willow agree to be turned before that can happen? Canon Divergent from Angelus grabbing Willow in the hallway in Innocence.
1. Chapter 1

The dark hallway empty of all but Willow and Angelus crackled with tension. It wasn't too dark for her to see her way but something, an instinct, told her to be wary. Angelus' instincts told him that he needed to act fast or fail.

His hand was around her wrist at the same time Jenny showed up in the shadows, warning Willow away from him. He kicked the teacher's legs out from under her, securing his grip on Willow as he straightened. Willow's scream was high and annoying, so he wrapped his hand around her mouth as he carried her out of the school, leaving the sound of Xander trying to run after them in the dust.

* * *

Buffy caught up to Xander, who was panting and pale. "What happened?"

"Angel… he's got her." Xander shoved Buffy and fell, strength wiped out from running so fast. "Your tamed vampire boyfriend took her. He's not tame or good or any of the shit you've been telling yourself. And now he has Willow!"

When Buffy, face crumpling, tried to help Xander to his feet, he shoved her hands away. "I'm sorry! I love Willow, too! We'll get her back. We will."

"She's been my best friend my entire life and if anything happens to her because you let a vampire into our lives, I swear to god, I'll never forgive you." Xander let her help him up this time.

"As soon as I get you home, I'll find her. I won't rest until I do."

Xander stood up straight. "We'll look together, but we need to kill the Judge too. And for that I have a plan."

* * *

Giles patched up Miss Calendar's head wound with gentle hands. When Angelus swept her legs out from under her, she hit her head on the railing hard enough to draw blood.

"We need to talk." Jenny said as she took the washcloth out of his hand and set it in the basin.

"About?" His brow furrowed.

"My real name is Janna Kalderash. My clan is the one that cursed Angel. And that curse has been broken. I'm telling you this because my uncle might be able to help us get Willow back safely."

"You're Rom?" Giles felt his chest constrict as he tried to not let her lies anger him. But Willow was taken and there was no holding in his temper. He stood and shoved the contents of his desk off rather than hit her. "You knew the curse could break, and you didn't tell us!"

"Rupert, I'm sorry. My first loyalty was to my family. I wanted to tell you. All of you, but I had a specific job to watch and make sure the curse held. I was led to believe that my job was a formality. When my uncle told me the truth, that all it would take was happiness, true happiness, to break it, I came straight here. To tell you."

He rubbed his forehead, shook his head and then looked at her with coldness he'd never thought he'd direct at her. "Is your uncle here?" At her nod, he said, "Take me to him."

* * *

When Angel threw Willow on the canopy bed in the bedroom of a mansion, she scrambled to sit up, her back to the headboard. "What do you want from me?"

"We're going to play a little game." He crawled across the bed to lounge casually next to her. "See, I broke my family when I had that wretched soul shoved up my ass. We need to fix that. But it would be no fun if Buffy didn't suffer for it. So I'm going to give her a chance to save you before Spike here turns you."

Spike stepped out of the shadows. "I'll ask you before sunrise every day to let me turn you. If the Slayer saves you before you say yes, then you'll get to die of old age. If not, you'll turn our threesome back into a foursome."

From the other side of the bed, Drusilla strolled out from behind a changing screen. "I've always wanted a granddaughter."

Angel tickled Willow's cheek with the fringe of a drapery tie. "In the meantime, you'll have run of the mansion. But don't worry, at least one of us will keep you company at all times keeping you safe from the outside world."

"So I'll be safe until the game is over?" Willow asked, trembling.

The three vampires conversed through glances and Drusilla said, "We make no promises."

"You'll have to learn how to live with vampires, love." Spike's smirk was malevolent. "And you get to start with me. Those two need to take our newest friend out for a good time."

"And that's our cue to leave. Dru, darling? Let's paint the town red." Angel slid off the bed and took Drusilla's hand.

On their way out, Drusilla stopped to giggle. "She'll have a wonderful time. Spike knows the most pleasant pain."

* * *

"Thanks, Oz." Buffy said as they waited for the window to the armory open.

"We need to kill the Judge so we can save Willow." Oz looked up and saw the window open. "We're up."

Buffy felt like there was a permanent lump in her throat. She moved through a haze of anxiety. Up the ladder and down with the package. As soon as Cordelia and Xander got in the van, Buffy directed Oz to the factory. When they found it empty, Oz came through by suggesting the mall for ground zero.

After blowing the Judge into pocketable pieces, Buffy saw Angelus duck into the theater lobby. She was on him in moments. Punching with little thought, she wanted him put down. When her stake made it to her hand, he said, "Willow will die too."

The sound of Willow's name stopped her. "Tell me."

Water soaked them both, he blinked it away, blood smeared evil smile in place. "We're playing a game and Willow's the prize. You save her before she tells us we can turn her, and she lives. Otherwise she's ours. If I'm dead, I can't make Spike and Dru keep that promise. Drusilla's attention span is seconds at best, and Spike has the patience of a two year old."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because you don't have a choice." Angel wiped blood off his mouth. "Willow will regret that."

Buffy's eyes bulged and her body stopped working. "No."

"Yes. Anything you do to me, Dru, or Spike, we'll do to her." He watched her crumble and walked off with a last remark. "Let the games begin."


	2. Chapter 2

"Uncle Enyos?" Janna called as she opened the door when he didn't answer her knock. She didn't get far into his hotel room before seeing splatters of blood. When she froze, Giles pushed past her, finding Enyos dead and blood spray thick on the walls that fanned out but never disappeared. This Rom's death was brutal. Smeared on the wall was a message Giles assumed was for Buffy. 'Was it good for you too?'

He turned to Jenny. "Go to the lobby and call the police. They won't be able to do anything, but they need to come so your uncle can be laid to rest without unnecessary questions."

Janna nodded and walked stiffly out of the room leaving Giles to look for whatever clues he could find.

* * *

"You can smash all the furniture if you want. It's not going to break the window. They're bulletproof." Spike sighed as she beat the leg of the chair she'd smashed already against the glass of the garden door.

Her gutteral scream echoed through the stone mansion as she threw the chair leg at Spike's head. He caught it before it connected. "Why! Why, why, why!"

He threw the leg back at her, hitting her in her dominate shoulder. "I told you already, love. Because it's fun. And you can be as loud as you want, vampires can hear as well as they like. Feel as much as we want. Taste to any degree we want. And smell to any degree we want. See to any distance we choose. Little known fact, our senses are malleable, not just heightened."

Tougher than she looked, she didn't crumble under the blow, but rather straightened. "Buffy will save me."

"Even if she found this place, I'll reiterate, the locks need a key that's turned by a vampire, and the windows are bulletproof." He chuckled when she groaned. "If you want me to occupy your time while you're here, all you need do is ask. Angelus likes it when his victims are unwilling. Dru wouldn't notice. But me? I like them fighting but happy to be there. I make sure all my partners have a good time. And I know how to get my way when it comes to those two."

"W-what happened to your face?" Willow asked as she sat across from Spike.

"The burns cover that whole side of my body. Church fire. Buffy's to blame, naturally. The clothes and pipes burned interesting patterns into my skin, but you can't tell now. Gimme a week and I'll be all healed. First week was torture though. A good spot of it. I should send your pal a fruit basket in thanks." Spike smirked at her twisted face. "Vampire. We tread on the dark side, laughing at death."

"I guess that's why so many of you die," Willow muttered.

"True." Spike shrugged and studied the girl. "I'm bored. Why don't we play some cards or some such."

"I guess that wouldn't be too bad." Willow sighed when she realized that this was going to be long painful stay. Her shoulder throbbed with every heartbeat and her eyes burned from crying, not to mention the sore throat from screaming. Place had to be soundproof on top of everything else.

Before Spike could get cards, the front door opened and Dru and Angel walked in, laughing. Willow took this to mean a lot of people died and pulled her legs up and hugged her knees. Tears stung once more.

"Spike! My darling boy, you should have seen it. The spiffy smurf exploded into tiny charcoal bits." Drusilla glided over to Spike and licked his scarred cheek. "It was delicious."

"I'm glad you had such a good time." Spike lifted her hand and pulled her to him. "I'm guessing your vision of the army came about."

"An army of one. And she's going to let us beat up our new little cherry. Mash it till it's bruised nice colors." Drusilla leaned toward Willow. "You'll be so pretty."

Willow cringed but stayed silent. From behind her, Angel picked her up and threw her into the bare stone wall. Every inch of her back screamed in agony and it was hard to breathe. She didn't see the boot until after it collided with her cheek. Unable to fight back, she was a rag in Angel's grip, and he used the other hand to punch her in the mouth just shy of rattling her teeth. When he dropped her, her hearing pinpointed the three of them. Spike was laughing, Drusilla was clapping, and Angel sighed. "That could have been more satisfying, but we don't want her dead. Yet."

"Daddy! You play the best games."

"But is it enough to win?" Spike asked.

Angel growled. "I've never lost."

"Sure, mate. Tell yourself whatever you need." Spike nudged Willow with the toe of his boot. "Are we just going to leave her there?"

"I'll keep her in my room with my other dolls." Drusilla scooped Willow up and cooed at her. "Pretty black peeking through already. You need to hold out for me dear. I don't want you to die yet and end my fun."

* * *

The children were silent as they drove back to the school. The back of the van was filled with shopping bags with bits of the Judge swaddled in them. And even though those bags kept falling onto Cordelia, she couldn't bring herself to care enough to complain. Xander finally told her why Willow wasn't with them, and Cordelia for the first time in her life felt bad for having been cruel to someone. If she'd never picked on Willow, she wouldn't have been so upset seeing her kiss Xander and wouldn't have been in that hall.

Xander couldn't even look at Cordelia, wallowing in his own guilt about his kissing choices hurting Willow and then leaving her in the hall with a vampire long enough for her to get taken.

The lump in Buffy's throat had grown a few sizes. Her eyes were filled with tears and she blamed herself for not realizing that Angel was Angelus when she found him in his apartment. He'd been so mean, how could she have not known?

There was nothing more Oz wanted than to get Willow back. He wanted her to be safe. She was more than a friend to him. He'd been mesmerized by her from first sight. He knew that a single kiss from her would be something he replayed in his mind over and over for the rest of time, freezing the frame just as many times.

When they got into the library, Oz broke the silence. "How are we getting Willow back?"

"How do we even know she's alive?" Cordelia asked her tone flat and distant.

"Angel said we're playing a game." Buffy held back a gag before finishing. "If I save her before she agrees to be turned, she'll be fine. If she gives in before I can get to her, she's theirs." This time she couldn't hold it in. She heaved into the trashcan next to the door.

Xander threw a chair and knocked a shelfful of books down. Oz looked upset rather than stoic, and Cordelia was now openly crying. "Oh God."

"What will they do to her while she's there?" Oz asked.

Buffy turned to sit. "He said she'd be fine."

"Fine is relative."

"The most vicious vampire in history has my best friend and you think she's going to be fine?" Xander's shout carried down the hall and brought Giles and Jenny at a run. "Buffy don't be an idiot! He's going to hurt her. Bad. We need to get to her now!"

"What do you want me to do?" Buffy shouted. "The factory was empty! That was all we had going for us. We knew she was there. But she's not and I don't know what to do."

Giles pushed the door open and crouched down in front of her. "We'll get her back. But you need to control yourself so we can."

Heart in throat, Janna was powerless. The only thing Giles found in Uncle Enyos' hotel room was the original curse in the original language. A language lost to even her clan. But she clenched the paper in an iron grip. "There's something I might be able to do. But I have to get started now. I need to help get Willow back. I feel so responsible."

"Why?" Buffy was confused.

"My. It was my clan that cursed Angel. I was led to believe that the position was only to watch and make sure he suffered. I didn't know the curse could break. As soon as I found out I came to tell all of you, but he was already here." Janna gasped back her tears. "I'll do everything I can to make this right."

Xander upturned the table. "Make this right? How on earth can you make any of this right?"

"Curse him again." Buffy said getting to her feet. "If you curse him again, he'll bring Willow home tonight."

"I can't." Jenny swallowed. "That magic's been lost for a hundred years. But I'm going to try to get it back. I'm going to do that now. I won't rest until I fix this."

"Can I help?" Oz asked.

"How are you at translation algorithms?"

"I know the theory."

"Me too. If we work together, we'll get it done faster." Janna took a slip off the counter and scribbled on it. "Meet me here as soon as you can."

"Your home?"

"Complete with a vampire proof barrier."

They all stood there for a moment, silent no movement outside breathing before Oz tossed his keys at Xander. "Get everyone home. I'm going with Miss Calendar."

With a nod the two of them left. Giles sighed. "We need to think about where they would have taken Willow."

"It has to be fortified," Xander said. "Willow's smart. Picking a lock wouldn't be hard for her if she put her mind to it. Few or no windows. Sewer or electrical tunnel access would be a certain."

Buffy slid behind the counter and booted the computer up. "Willow's already hacked all the local government sites. Wouldn't one of them be the Building Commission? That would have all that information, wouldn't it?"

"That's thousands of buildings we need to go through," Cordelia pointed out. "We should look in shifts. We're useless if we're too tired to go get her."

"I'll research Angelus and his progeny. There has to be a weakness we can exploit." Giles rubbed his forehead and disappeared into his office. "I have a couch in here."

"I'm sleeping first." Cordelia said following Giles.

"Xander you've got the military brain, you might see something I don't." Buffy clicked on Willow's bookmarks and found the right link.

"Maybe. You need to call your mom and tell her whatever you have to, get her to stay somewhere else." Xander rounded the counter and glued his eyes to the screen.

"What about Willow's parents?"

"They're in Europe for the month, left a few days ago. If she's not back by then, we'll think of something."

Buffy picked up the phone.


	3. Chapter 3

Buffy opened her eyes after a nightmare plagued sleep.

* * *

Willow opened her good eye after a nightmare plagued sleep.

* * *

Giles sighed as he turned another page.

* * *

Drusilla sighed with contentment that her doll was alive.

* * *

"Any news?" Buffy asked.

* * *

"She didn't come," Willow croaked out.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Buffy. But there's nothing to report." Giles sat next to her as she sat up.

* * *

"I'm sorry, lovey, but do cheer up. I'll always love you." Dru sat next to Willow and brushed her hair out of her face with soft fingers. "This would hurt a lot better if you said yes. Then a punch would be a loving caress."

* * *

Cordelia appeared in the doorway. "Giles, can I talk to Buffy alone please?"

"Yes, of course."

* * *

"Dru, pet, could you let me talk to our guest alone for a minute?" Spike asked as he leaned in the doorway.

"Anything for my sweet prince."

* * *

"What is it, Cordelia?" Buffy couldn't handle Cordelia right now.

Cordelia closed the door and took a seat in Giles' desk chair. "I know we're not friends, but I know people, and you're too upset for Angel to have said Willow will be fine and dandy when you rescue her. So spill. Tell me the truth."

Buffy broke down into a fresh bout of tears. "I beat Angel up pretty bad and he said, h-he said… that everything I do to him or Dru or Spike, they'd do to Willow. She's got to be in so much pain right now and it's all my fault."

"Put the blame where it should be." Cordelia sat next to Buffy and rubbed her shoulder. "You can blame Darla for making Angel, or you could blame the gypsies for cursing so stupidly, or you could blame Angelus. But while you may not have made all the best choices, this is not your fault."

When Buffy sobbed into Cordelia's shoulder, the cheerleader wrapped her arms around the Slayer and stroked her hair. "It's not your fault."

* * *

Willow closed her eye, and a tear slipped out before she took a steeling breath. "Go ahead and ask. The answer is no."

Spike sighed and sat where Drusilla had. He stroked Willow's arm. "Then I don't have to ask do I? But that's not the only reason I'm here right now."

With a pain-filled groan, Willow tried to sit up, and Spike helped her, so she could. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to tell you that I understand why you put so much faith in your friend the Slayer. She killed the Master, she almost killed me. I've never met a Slayer I couldn't kill before. Your trust in her isn't misguided." Spike caught Willow's tears before they got halfway down her cheeks. "Shh. It'll be fine. You'll see."

"From what perspective will things be fine?"

"From both. If you give in, you'll be a vampire and all this will become a pleasant memory. If Buffy saves you, you'll be stronger for having been through this. So no matter how the cards fall, you'll be stronger in the end."

* * *

"Thank you, Cordelia." Buffy hiccuped and composed herself.

* * *

"Thanks, Spike."

* * *

"No problem, Buffy."

* * *

"Anytime, love."

* * *

Giles and Xander watched the girls through the window. "If Buffy doesn't save Willow, it'll break her."

"I was too harsh on her, I know. But I get crazed when Willow's in danger." Xander sighed and went back to the computer. They weren't even a tenth of the way through the building plans, and he needed to keep looking for Willow.

* * *

Drusilla draped across Angelus' lap as he sat in the living room chair. "Wouldn't it be better all round if our little cherry wanted to become one of us? It's not a challenge to break little girls, I remember well. But getting her to want it, to beg for it, that would be something, wouldn't it Daddy?"

"Are you saying that I'm not capable of making her beg?" Angelus grabbed her hair and yanked her head back.

"No such thing." Drusilla laughed, and she yanked her head forward and left Angelus holding a handful of hair. "Just don't forget to hurt me too."

He captured her lips with his and bit her tongue till her metallic stolen blood flowed down his throat. Blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, he bared his teeth. "Never."

* * *

Oz woke up on the floor of Miss Calendar's living room to coffee aroma. He got to his feet and padded into the kitchen. "May I?"

Janna sat in front of her laptop at the kitchen table. "By all means. I think I might have ironed out one of the bugs we fell into last night, but the text isn't making much sense yet."

"Have you slept?"

"Can't."

"Let me look." Oz took his coffee and set it next to her laptop as she got up to let him sit. "I think we got all the common words though. We need to figure out how to use those to fill in the more complex words. I have a thought." He typed in some code and reran the translation program.

"Damn! That's worse." Janna slammed her coffee mug down cracking it. "Tell me you saved what we already had."

* * *

Angelus paced in front of the fireplace. Every thought on how to woo Willow into not just giving in but asking to be turned out of a true wish to shed humanity came up dead ends with what he knew about the girl.

Inspiration no sooner struck then he put it into action. He opened Drusilla's bedroom door and gazed at Willow laying on the bed, limp and broken. Angelus was loath to ruin such a gorgeous sight, but if he was to get her where he wanted her, then he needed to do this.

Sitting next to her, he drew her to his chest. He bit into his wrist and force fed her his blood. When she fought him, he spoke to her softly. "It won't turn you, but it will heal your wounds. We take care of family here. I just had to remember that you're still human and taking care of you means something different to taking care of my children."

When he took his wrist away, Willow scrambled off his lap. "I'm grateful, but I'm not your family."

"Not yet. But you will be. You'll want it so much, you'll ask for it."

"I'll never give in."

* * *

Buffy came out of the office and looked at Xander. "I will never give up on Willow."


	4. Chapter 4

Spike, using his eyes only, seduced a young woman to dance with him despite the scars on his face. He moved them until they were near the stage. When he caught Buffy's gaze, he grabbed the girl's mouth and bit into her neck. Never taking his eyes off Buffy as she watched in horror. He laid the corpse on the floor, not drawing anyone else's attention.

Buffy followed him out to the back alley. He sat a leg on a crate and lit a cigarette, waiting for her to speak.

"Where's Willow?"

He chortled. "That's a stupid wasted question. I won't tell you, and you won't hit me. But I'll give you another try."

"Is she alive?"

"Yes."

"How hurt is she?"

"We healed her, but Angelus had broken her back and cracked her cheekbone." He flicked ashes before taking another drag. "Now ask me what you really want to ask me."

"What's it like to be a vampire?"

"Now there's my girl. I knew you had it in you." Spike pushed off the crate and sidled up to her. Gentle fingers ran down her cheek before wrapping around her neck with no pressure but still threatening. "It's being you without the weight of guilt. It's thrilling and fun and surreal while being more real and alive than breathing with a beating heart."

Buffy didn't move as the tear slid down her face and her eyes closed. When she opened them, he was gone, and she walked off slowly when the screaming inside started.

* * *

"How many days has it been? They all bleed together." Willow looked at the shadow of Drusilla, who was brushing Willow's hair.

"One plus one plus one plus one. Would you like me to sing to you?"

"OK."

"A Rose tree in full bearing, Had sweet flowers fair to see, On Rose beyond comparing, For beauty attracted me." Drusilla's voice was coarse but hypnotic and Willow's eyes glazed over as she went on. "Tho' eager once to win it, Lovely blooming trees and gay, I find a canker in it, And now throw it far away." She hummed for a few notes and then continued, "How fine this morning early, All was sunshine clear and bright, So late I lov'd you dearly, Tho' lost now each fond delight. The clouds seem big with showers, Sunny beams no more are seen, Farewell ye happy hours, Your falsehood has chang'd the scene."

She sang it through a few times, getting into Willow's head.

"Rose! Rose you'll rip your dress."

Rose/Willow looked down from her perch high in the tree out back at her Grandmum/Drusilla. "But it's so lovely up here!"

The scene shifted and Grandmum/Drusilla was brushing Rose/Willow's hair as she sat in a frilly dress, feet dangling. "Cherry Rose, tell me how you got so smart?"

"Shh, I read."

"I love books! They take you away to far off places like the stars in someone else's sky do. They fit you into many shoes and skins."

"I love you, Grandmum."

"I love you, too, Cherry Rose," Drusilla said as she drew back from Willow's mind. "You need to stay alive as long as possible. I like hearing the blood rush in your veins to the beat of your sweet heart."

Disturbed Willow whispered, "Of course."

* * *

While Spike distracted Buffy, Angelus walked into the library with a whistle. Xander tried to attack him, but Angelus punched him to the floor hard enough to pop his eye out of its socket. Cordelia held a hardback book like a shield and cowered in the corner. Giles grabbed his rapier and tried to take Angelus' head, but the blade whipped over his head as he ducked. Angelus punched Giles in the torso sending him through the office window.

After grabbing Cordelia's book, he swung it at the computer on the counter. The monitor went flying into the wall, exploding in a shower of sparks. He picked up the rest of the computer and smashed it into tiny shrapnel. Without a word and still whistling, Angelus walked out with a dance to his step.

* * *

Spike and Angelus met up at the door to their home. "How'd it go?"

Angelus smiled. "Even easier than I thought it would be. You?"

"She let me kill a woman right in front of her." Spike flipped the lock and opened the door. "Did you leave any of them alive?"

"Left them all alive. Not in one piece necessarily, but alive."

"We should tell Willow about our evenings." Spike walked inside after Angelus.

"We should." Angelus draped his coat over the back of the couch while Spike hung his up on the hook near the door.

"At least Dru's being a good girl. I can hear our guest's still breathing."

* * *

When Buffy saw the ambulance and cop car outside the school she ran inside. "Giles! Cordelia! Xander!"

Xander was put on a stretcher with a pouch over his one eye. Giles was sitting at the table with his arm in a sling, but still obviously at a wrong angle. Cordelia stared at the floor standing in the corner answering questions for the police.

"What happened?" Buffy breathed as she grabbed Xander's hand.

"Your ex stopped by," Xander said as he turned his head away from her.

"Miss step back. We need to get your friend to the hospital if there'll be any chance of saving his eye." The EMT pushed Xander out as Buffy stepped back.

Giles walked out with the other EMT. "We'll talk tomorrow."

Buffy nodded at him and then turned toward Cordy. "Cordelia? Are you OK?"

"He didn't touch me. But he killed our only chance at finding what we were looking for. He smashed the computer." She gestured to the litter of metal bits on the floor.

Snyder stomped in and pointed at Buffy. "What happened here? And what did she have to do with it?"

The officer said, "A man terrorized a couple students and the librarian helping them with their studies. We think he saw the library light on and saw an opportunity."

"That doesn't answer what Buffy Summers had to do with it."

Exasperated, Buffy defended herself. "I was out for a walk and saw the ambulance and police. I knew my friends were here studying and rushed in because I was worried about them."

Snyder sneered at her but said nothing else before storming out.

Cordelia touched Buffy's elbow. "You should come home with me. It's not safe at your house."

Buffy nodded and glanced at Cordelia before finding the floor fascinating. They left when the officer determined there was no use keeping them there.


	5. Chapter 5

Spike leaned in the doorway of Willow's new room. She'd been here a two weeks and still cried more often than not. "You know, ducks, if you don't toughen up, Angelus will drive you mad and maybe break your body beyond repair."

"And exactly how am I supposed to do that?" She spat her words at him like a cobra ready to strike when the monsters get too close.

"How's the wrist?" Spike asked.

"You mean the one you broke?"

He dove for her, stopping a centimeter away from her unflinching black and blue face. "Look you daft bint, if you don't get yourself together, you'll lose this game. At least in your eyes, so listen up. I can help you if you let me, but I'm not going to waste my time trying to convince you to stand up for yourself rather than waiting for Buffy."

"Fine. I will!"

"Then let's get started. If you're a good pupil, I'll take you out in the garden after sunset."

"Whatever. Tell me what I need to do."

Spike leaned back. "First you need to harness that rage of yours. Then you have to learn how to live in the world of vampires. You need to be cruel and you need to know how to fight and fight dirty. That's where I can help. And if you can get to it, beat me and drink my blood you'll be even stronger because you'll be healed."

"Why would you want to help me? You ask me every night if you can turn me?"

"I don't want to turn a sad sack with no backbone."

The words made Willow flinch, but she stood up and looked him in the eye. "Teach me."

* * *

Buffy sat on Jenny's couch staring at the carpet, thinking about her broken leg and how she got it.

Angelus beat and broke her, knowing she wouldn't fight back because that would mean getting another photo of a bruised and broken Willow. She had two shoeboxes of polaroids now, all of Willow in various shades of purple, red, yellow and green. Sometimes her limbs were at odd angles, and sometimes her face was so swollen she was nearly unrecognizable. But a broken leg meant she was sidelined until it healed.

Xander sat across from her with Miss Calendar's laptop. The computer teacher had finally hacked the Building Commission. The only trouble was that half the city was built so long ago their plans were almost unreadable. He was still getting used to his eye patch and sometimes when he would scratch at it, Buffy caught glimpses of the empty socket.

Oz was on the desktop computer with Janna going over the curse. There were still a few words they hadn't translated and Buffy was anxious for them to finish. Giles was at the magic shop buying a new Orb of Thesulah since his broke when he landed on it after Angelus threw him through that window. His cast was off, but he had to wear a brace for a while.

The phone rang. Jenny answered it and held the receiver out for Buffy. "It's your mom."

Buffy pulled herself up with her crutches and hobbled over to the phone. "Hey, Mom."

"Buffy? This is ridiculous. We need to go home."

"Mom, we can't. It's too dangerous."

"He's just a man and we have locks. I'm going home tonight and if you don't come home, I'll have the police pick you up."

"Mom! He's not just a man." Buffy took a deep breath and knew that the time had come to tell her mother the truth because keeping it from her would get her killed. "He's a vampire, and he has an invitation."

"Not this again. Buffy, I thought we were past this."

"Remember on Parent Teacher Night, those people that attacked. You said there was something wrong with their faces and there was. They're demons, vampires and their true face emerges when they want to terrorize and feed."

Joyce sighed. "I'll see you at home."

When the phone buzzed in her ear, Buffy hung up. "Crap."

* * *

Right after she hung up with her daughter, Joyce called 911 and sent the police over to Miss Calendar's to pick Buffy up and take her to the hospital. Then she called the hospital and told them to be expecting Buffy's arrival.

Tired, she picked up her suitcase, said goodbye to her friend, and went home.

* * *

Sweaty and panting, Willow tried to kick Spike again but landed on her ass when he dodged. "You aren't trying hard enough."

"I am!"

"No, you're not. Now get up and try again."

When she landed the kick this time, he grinned. "Now you're getting it."

"Can we take a break? The sun is giving me a headache."

"Necro-tempered glass is the only way I get to see the sun. But you've got a concussion, so fine, take a break. Go drink some water. That should help."

Willow nodded and limped to the kitchen.

Drusilla came down the stairs. "Daddy won't be happy. You're stacking the deck."

Spike laughed. "So are you. We've both left hints that he'll fail, and he's simmering in that. He'll boil over when he does fail. And that's a meltdown I want to see."

"We will still keep Cherry, yes?"

"We'll keep her all right. She'll be the first I've ever sired. Looking forward to it, she's got something."

"She'll make a fine addition. We can't subtract Daddy though. Our math has to be just right."

"It'll be perfect, love." Spike kissed Dru.

"We need to watch. Her syphon is growing and could swallow us all."

"Spike, I'm ready to start again," Willow said as she entered the room. "Oh, hey, Dru, did you sleep well?"

"Like a cloud, my Cherry Rose. When you're done with my prince, let's take a bath. You can hold me underwater again."

"Yeah, sure." Willow set her glass of water on the mantel. "But I have to get back to my lessons."

"Studying under my Spike will make you steel and diamond. But I like amethyst too."

Spike kissed Dru one more time and then held onto her hand until it slipped out of his as she walked toward the study. He turned his head to Willow. "Plant your feet. Find your balance."

Willow did and felt more solid than before. She didn't wait for him to be ready for her and kicked knocking him back again. Her smile hurt the split lip, but she didn't care.

"And that's how it's done. Now we need to work on your crescent kick."

Hours later when Willow couldn't lift her legs anymore she fell onto the couch. "Sorry, Spike, I'm spent."

"You like my Dru, yeah?" Spike said bumping a smoke out of the pack, lighting it and taking a long drag.

"She's nice. And I think I'm starting to understand her. What she says. It always makes a certain kind of roundabout sense."

"Just don't forget you have to share her with me."

"I know."

"Can I join your bath."

"If I say no, would that stop you?"

"Not a chance."

"Where's Angelus? It's like he's taken a night off from the game." Willow asked as she let Spike pull her to her feet. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining."

He snorted. "I didn't think you were. He's having a romp with your Slayer. He'll be back before morning."

"Shit. I was hoping he took a permanent vacation."

"No such luck." They walked up the stairs and took off their clothes. Willow left her bra and underwear on though and Spike howled. "I see how it's going to be."

"Good. Things will suck enough when Angelus returns. Please don't make it worse."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Spike watched Drusilla as her bare back bent to turn on the faucet. "I have a princess already. I can wait a little longer to get another."

"Bad Spike. Be worse." Dru peered over her shoulder at him with a seductive curl of her lips.

"Just for you, love. Just for you." He wrapped his arms around Dru and they slid into the rapidly rising water.

Willow sat on the sink counter and watched them. Her embarrassment over these kinds of things disappeared early on since it was a regular occurrence. She never knew when she'd walk in on any of the vampires shagging as Spike put it.


	6. Chapter 6

In the garden a month into Willow's stay, Spike sat a few steps up with Drusilla between his legs drying her hair. While Willow sat between Drusilla's legs getting her hair dried. The front door slammed open and a series of bangs echoed when Angelus and the minions returned with their prize. Wrapped in towels, the three of them, curious to see what Angelus had, walked into the living room.

"It's a big rock. Can't wait to tell my friends. I bet they don't have a rock this big." Grabbing his smokes off the mantel, he shrugged when Angelus chastised him.

"You never bothered to learn your history."

"So let's have a lesson." He draped an arm around Willow's shoulders. She stuck close to him when Angelus was around because no matter how Spike hurt her, Angelus was worse.

"Acathla opened his mouth to swallow the world into hell but a knight stopped him before he could draw his first breath turning him to stone as some demons do." Angelus nodded to the minions, and they pried the block of stone open revealing the stone demon with a sword in its chest.

"He fills my head. I can't hear anything else." Drusilla swayed her head side to side.

"Let me guess, someone pulls the sword from the stone."

"Someone worthy."

"Demon wakes up and wackiness ensues." Spike rolled his eyes.

Drusilla squealed and clapped. "He's going to swallow the world."

"Um," Willow started, "not to sound ignorant but why would you want to send the world to hell? Don't you eat people? Wouldn't they all die in a hell dimension?"

Angelus growled at her. "You're right, you do sound ignorant."

"No, she doesn't. The girl makes sense. I'm not too keen on losing our food source."

Drusilla frowned at Spike. "You shush. You'll spoil the party."

Spike dropped his arm from Willow and stepped toward Angelus. "Didn't you once tell the Master to his face that ending the world was a daft plan? Why the change in tune?"

Enraged, Angelus punched the statue next to Spike, shattering it. "Don't question me boy."

"Looks like you saw reason." Spike smirked and ambled away pulling Willow with him.

"The toy surprise is all dust now," Drusilla whined.

That's when Angelus noticed that the statue he destroyed was Acathla. "I'm going to kill him."

"No!" Drusilla threw herself in her sire's way. "Hurt me instead. You promised you would."

"Let's go upstairs." Angelus dragged her up the stairs fast enough that she couldn't keep her feet under her.

* * *

In Willow's room, she got dressed while Spike paced behind her. "He's going to lose control isn't he?"

"He doesn't like to lose but control doesn't seem to be a priority anymore. We need to keep you in one piece. I won't be able to protect you if Dru's on his side."

Willow sat on the bed. "This is going to be bad isn't it?"

"Sorry, love, but if I try to stop him, it'll be even worse than that." Spike butted his cigarette out in the ashtray he kept in her room.

"I don't want to ask for favors, but if I'm in this condition when he decides he's done with Dru and comes for me, will it be bad or worse?"

Spike looked over her bruised and battered face, knowing it covered most of her body. He shook his head and bit his wrist and offered it to her. She drank with her eyes on him waiting for the signal to stop. He bobbed his head to the side and she let go. "Get some sleep."

"But I've only been awake since one and it's barely past dusk."

"Then rest up and read a book or something." He stalked out of the room, leaving Willow to try to prepare for what was to come.

* * *

Buffy woke up in her hospital room as usual light filtering in between the glassed off blinds. The nurse came in with her pills and she cheeked them like a pro. But the nurse didn't leave like she usually did. "Buffy. I'm sorry but I have bad news."

"What is it?"

"There was a fire last night. At your house. Your mother didn't make it out."

"Mommy?" Buffy gasped a few times almost choking on the pills before her mind clicked into gear. "I need to call Giles and, ah, Jenny."

"Are they relatives?"

"Yes."

"I'll bring you the phone."

Buffy was bed ridden since she wasn't allowed her crutches. She couldn't get away from the cops with a broken leg either. And she was here when her mother was dying. She knew the fire had to be Angelus. Her list of one suspect was firmly narrowed down.

Hiding the pills in her pillowcase, Buffy righted herself before the nurse returned with the portable phone. When she dialed Miss Calendar's number, Xander picked up on the first ring. "Buffy?"

"Yeah."

"We saw it on the news. I'm so sorry. How do we get you out of there?"

"Tell Giles to talk to, um, the Council."

"And we need to figure out what happens to you now. You turned seventeen not eighteen."

"I can't think." Buffy choked on a sob. "My mom, she can't be gone."

The nurse pulled the phone out of Buffy's hand. "I'm sorry but I need to end this call." She hit the end button and sat next to Buffy. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Buffy twisted to bury her face in the pillow, wailing her grief.

The nurse called the front desk and had them send an aide back to sit with Buffy. "We can't leave her alone in this state."

* * *

"I've never been comfortable lying to the children," Janna said to Giles in the kitchen while Cordelia, Xander, and Oz were in the living room.

"But the curse it's fixed now?"

"I let Oz think he finished the translation this morning. There's no loophole in it this time." She rubbed her forehead. "I can only think that the curse was meant to break one day, so he could kill those he loved just for someone from my clan to curse him again. It's sick and I want no part of vengeance. But we left Willow to him and his children for over a month when we could have cursed him a week and a half ago."

"We still don't know who can do the spell. I don't have the magic chops and neither do you. I've been looking for someone we could trust but my contacts are limited. The Council can't find out that I'm restoring a vampire's soul rather than killing him. Have you had any luck with your contacts?"

"Not yet, but I'm still trying." Jenny looked over the counter at the boys and Cordelia. "I hate myself for being so blind. I should have known that the clan wanted vengeance not any sort of justice."

* * *

Chained to the ceiling in the basement, Willow passed out from the pain around noon. Blood dripped on the stone floor as Angelus threw the video recorder into the wall. Angelus was still too angry to feed, but he stopped the torture for the time being though. It was no fun if she wasn't awake to scream.

Spike sat in the corner calculating how much blood Willow had lost this morning. He didn't think she could lose any more without dying. He clucked his tongue and followed Angelus up the stairs. "You know you'll lose the game if she's a corpse just the same as if you lost her to the Slayer."

Angelus grabbed Spike by the collar and spat in his face. "Then take care of the little bitch. Do something useful for a switch."

Spike nodded, wiped off his face and returned to the basement. He found Drusilla there already taking Willow down from the chains. "He broke my Cherry Rose. Too many bones to set at once."

He grimaced. "We'll need to set what we can, heal her, re-break the bones that heal wrong, and set them, repeat until she's fixed. This will be just dandy."


	7. Chapter 7

"Last one." Spike broke Willow's humerus and set it before Drusilla fed her more of her blood. Willow merely groaned. The wounds usually healed without scars but the slit up her thigh and the one down the left side of her face scarred. She felt the skin pucker when she moved her facial muscles, and she could see the one on her thigh.

"Ooh, she got her own kind of pretty ridges." Drusilla licked the scar on Willow's face. "Sleep in our room today?"

"Sure. But not in the middle. You two turn me into an icicle when I'm stuck in the middle."

Spike chuckled. "You know, kid, you're a bit of alright."

When Drusilla and Spike stood up they turned their backs to Willow while she got to her feet and followed them to their room, trying to cover her face with her hair.

Drusilla gave her a nightgown, and Willow pulled it over her head gratefully as she yawned so hard it hurt.

Spike took the far side of the bed next to his cigarettes and ashtray, Drusilla pressed herself to him, and Willow crammed in on the other side, holding onto Dru with an arm and leg to keep from falling off the edge.

The vampires were asleep in no time, but Willow was couldn't sleep. She kept playing the day's torture over and over in her head. The deep cuts, the blunt blows, the sharp snapping of her bones, almost losing teeth, rolled through her mind on a loop, until she finally slipped out of bed and tiptoed to the library to continue her secret training.

There were no ingredients for proper spells, but there were ways to meditate and other ways to transfer energy through trances. If she could manage that, she could pull strength out of anything and free herself though she didn't want to leave Dru. It was obvious Buffy wasn't coming anytime soon, and Willow was sick of being a damsel.

* * *

Buffy was shocked to hear they were discharging her into the care of Rupert Giles. When he picked her up, he explained that she should thank the Council. She was still too upset to be happy about her release and only felt relief at being out. There would be no smiling ever again for her.

They arrived at a house Buffy wasn't familiar. "What's this?"

"Our new home. My flat only had one bedroom and Miss Calendar's lease was almost up, so we got this place. Your father agreed that you needed to stay in a stable environment and since he travels as part of his work, he signed papers this morning appointing Miss Calendar and I your guardians."

"Oh." She looked up at the house. "It's big."

"It was short notice." He touched her back to prompt her to go inside.

When the door opened Buffy smelled food and realized she hadn't eaten since she found out about her mother the previous morning. "Ah, it smells good."

"Hey, you two. I made breakfast." Janna flipped the pancakes on the griddle. "Can someone finish setting the table? The dishes are all in that box near the pantry."

Buffy did as asked in a daze, setting two places before remembering there were three of them here, so she set the last plate and utensils out and sat down. She stared out the back door window at the bright sunny day and wished it would rain.

They ate in silence. Buffy picked at her food, only taking bites every other minute or so. Giles and Jenny watched her with worry. Losing her mother so shortly after Willow being kidnapped weighed the Slayer down. The broken leg didn't help, and the two adults were sick for her.

Jenny reached across the table and laid her hand on Buffy's "I'm sorry to bring this up, but we need to go shopping later. You have almost no clothes, the fire destroyed your entire house."

"The pictures?" Buffy asked voice distant.

"I'm so sorry, Buffy."

"Thank you, Miss Calendar."

"We live together now. Call me Janna or Jenny."

"Um, which do you prefer?"

"Janna."

"I'll try to remember that, Janna." Buffy kept staring, at her plate this time, later out a window, then at the boxes in what would be her room. Nothing felt real.

* * *

Xander and Cordelia were in her car, and Oz was in his van. They were driving around the city looking for one of the three vampires that had Willow so they could follow them to find out where they were keeping Willow. The moon was barely a sliver, and the streets were extra dark with some burnt out lights.

When Oz caught sight of Angelus, he was draining a girl who was already limp in his arms. Oz weighed his conscience on whether he should try to save the girl, but it became a moot point when Angelus dropped the body. Oz watched him walk down the block and get into an old black car. Perfect.

Oz followed the car to an old mansion just outside town. He kept driving and didn't stop because he didn't want to draw attention to himself and risk Willow's life by getting caught.

He met up with the other two at the Espresso Pump, but he got there first, so he ordered a Red Eye and sat in a booth to wait. They showed up within twenty minutes, made their orders. "I take it you found something," Xander said as he slid into the booth followed by Cordelia.

"I did. The mansion on Crawford Street."

Cordelia asked, "No one saw you did they?"

"I don't think so. But we should try to check it out tomorrow. It's got lots of windows but a lot of trees around it too." Oz sipped his coffee.

"Should we tell Buffy?" Xander picked at the styrofoam cup, ignoring the contents.

"Her mother just died. And she's got that huge cast on her leg. What would she even be able to do? Wouldn't it hurt her more to tell her when she can't help?" Cordelia pushed her coffee away.

Xander slammed down his hand and toppled his cup. The black liquid cascaded off the table and onto his lap. "Dammit!"

He righted the cup and Cordelia stood up and got napkins. "You didn't burn anything important did you?"

"No. Just my leg. And this shit isn't even hot." Xander sighed. "What do we do if we do spot Willow tomorrow?"

"Then we know she's there." Oz ran his finger along the edge of his cup.

"We could see what we can find out about their security. I mean they have to be keeping her against her will so the place has to be a fortress." Cordelia frowned. "What if they have magical barriers or something? We don't even have anyone capable of casting the curse. How would we get past force fields?"

"Desperate times…" Oz raised an eyebrow. "Maybe we can ask Amy and Michael."

"I don't think Michael sleeps. Anyone got his or Amy's number?" Cordy asked.

"I've got Michael's." Oz got up. "I'll call him in the morning. For now we need to get rest. We've got a potentially long day ahead of us."

Oz left, and Xander and Cordelia looked at each other. "Think you can sleep?"

"Nope."

"Wanna go talk to Giles?"

"Good plan."


	8. Chapter 8

While Giles, Xander, and Oz surveilled the Crawford Street Mansion, Cordelia sat in the driver's seat of Oz's van just out of sight of the mansion, ready to go if they needed to bolt fast. There weren't many windows in the front, so they each took a side, Giles insisting on taking the rear as it was more likely for the person on that side to get captured if caught. The trees created enough cover that a vampire could venture out even with the sun high in the sky.

Oz found nothing but a sunken garden on his side and glancing down, he saw glass doors. He took the risk. He slowed his breathing and heart rate with some calming breaths before carefully walking down the steps. With his back pressed against the wall, he took a few more breaths and twisted to peek through the door.

Drusilla had Willow around the neck, cutting off her oxygen. But Willow surprised him by tossing Dru over her shoulders and then kicking the vampire in the face. Angelus threw a punch in her direction that she dodged before sweeping his legs out from under him.

"Why are we teaching her to defend herself again?" Angelus asked after popping back to his feet and throwing another punch that she again avoided, getting behind him and kicking him in the back.

"Do I really need to explain it again? She'd be a better vampire if she's already got a violent streak." Spike said from the corner of the room. "Besides, she's a natural."

Angelus and Willow were circling each other when Drusilla hit Willow over the head with a vase, cutting her scalp not that she noticed as she pivoted and roundhoused Dru and twisted again to block Angelus' next kick. "Dru! That vase was from the Ming Dynasty."

"Sorry, Daddy." Drusilla caught Willow's fist and with a graceful spin tossed Willow over her arm. On her back and out of breath, Willow tapped the floor.

Spike stepped forward and helped her up. "That's better. You need to learn to counter your opponent's moves better. But for three days worth of training, I have to say I'm proud of you."

She beamed at Spike. "Show me how to counter that swirling thing of Dru's?"

He licked her forehead wound with a smile. "Bandage your head first."

Willow felt where Spike had licked. "I didn't even notice." She picked up a fluffy white towel from near the garden doors and as she straightened she noticed Oz, but other than a slight widening of the eyes, didn't react. At this distance the scar on the side of her face stood out. She pat her sweat away and mouthed, "Go, before they see you."

When she turned and asked Dru to be her nurse, he dragged himself back to the car.

He was the last there but they left him shotgun. "I saw her."

"We'll talk somewhere far away from here." Cordelia put the car in drive and turned her blinker on and pulled away.

The four of them sat on the floor in what would someday be Giles' study. Xander couldn't wait another second. "Tell us everything."

Oz told them everything, and they all listened with faces getting more grave with every sentence. When he finished there was a long silence.

"So let me get this straight," Cordelia said. "They're training her to fight. She seems to like it. And she's got scars all of a sudden that look too old to have happened while she was there. Are we sure it's her?"

"She warned me to leave before they saw me." Oz picked at the fraying knee of his jeans. "And they were all in direct sunlight without turning to dust."

"Necro-tempered glass." Giles took his glasses off and cleaned them. "It's bulletproof. What else could you tell us about those doors?"

"The lock looked like something from a sword and sorcery movie."

Giles opened a nearby box, got a pen out, and sketched a design on the side of the box. "Did it look like this?"

"Yeah."

"Getting Willow out of there will be nearly impossible even if Buffy were at full strength. The lock needs a key and that key can only be turned by a vampire."

"Can we blast through the glass like we blew up the Judge?" Xander asked.

Giles sighed. "I have a friend that's a demolitions expert, but I haven't spoken to him in years. I suppose I could try to get his assistance. But we'd need access to explosives, and I don't believe we'll be able to dip into the military base again."

"No, that bridge is burnt." Xander scratched his bottom lip. "There's a construction company in town that's hiring. Maybe I could apply."

"What about your eye?" Cordelia said. "You lack depth perception. That can't be good on a construction site."

"We break into the construction company," Oz said. "We'll need a lot of raw meat though."

"Why?" Cordelia's face scrunched up.

"Dogs."

"Ah."

* * *

"Should we tell her we know her little friends were here?" Spike asked as he fixed Drusilla's hair up off her neck in a bun styled from his era.

"The little mice scamper round caged cats, but the bars won't hold if the cats don't want them too." Drusilla sing-songed.

"If they attack in the day, even with the woods 'round us, it could be a mite tricky to keep our girl. That Watcher has to know what kind of glass and locks we have here."

"We need the right jewelry, my prince." She stained a map onto a handkerchief with her blood. "X marks the spot, boom."

"Are you telling me the Gem of Amara is in Sunnydale?" he asked as he studied the map.

"We'll ring in the new year with a walk under the sun."

"There's more than one gem?"

"Matching set in a mass of sunken glitter."

"We'll go tonight."

Drusilla giggled. "We need to take Cherry with us. She'd love to stake us both!"

With a malevolent smile, Spike said, "If you insist. We'll have to keep her on a short leash."

"I've got just the bracelets." Drusilla dangled a two pair of handcuffs off her thumbs.

"It is time we teach the little scamp about the fun of bondage, isn't it?" He pulled her up to press against his chest.

"Very much so." She playfully snapped her teeth at him.


	9. Chapter 9

It took having to sedate Angelus, but the other three members of the household got to leave without giving the game away. Willow didn't care that she was handcuffed between Spike and Dru, she was outside. And not just in the garden, but out out, walking through the streets. She laughed as she skipped a few steps with Dru, dragging Spike behind her. "Come on. Don't be a stick in the mud!"

"I don't skip." He yanked his wrist until Willow and Dru slammed into him. "But I do play."

Her laugh cut through the noise of a passing car as she ducked under his arm bringing Dru with her. In and around, through and under until they were righted again, like a dance.

Their journey took hours because Willow couldn't stop her gleeful playing. When they got there, Spike set his backpack down in the middle of the road. He pulled the ladies back a several meters before pulling a detonator out of his pocket. A press of the button and the street caved in an explosion of light and thunder.

"We're the clouds in the storm, possessing all the power of the gale." Drusilla danced over to the new ledge, the other two forced to follow. They peered into the hole and jewels mixed in with the rubble glinted and reflected the streetlight.

"How are we getting down there?"

Drusilla and Spike shared a look, wrapped themselves around her and in one motion jumped, landing with a safe Willow.

"Ah, that's how. What are we looking for again?"

"A set of matching rings."

"How many?"

"Three," Drusilla said snatching the word out of the air with her fist. She turned and looked at the only standing table. "There."

As one they crunched through the jewels and gravel. "Are those what we're looking for?" She pointed with her arm chained to Dru at three rings with a crude skull design in brass and emerald.

Spike put the largest one on and then put one on Drusilla and finally Willow. "This remains between the three of us. No telling Daddy, got it Dru?"

"Yes, my prince."

"Willow, take that cross and touch my hand."

She did as bade, and there was no sizzle or smoke when the cross touched his skin. "Dru. Your turn."

When her skin didn't burn, Dru fell to her knees. "God has forgiven me."

"OK, good, but now how do we get out?" Willow asked as she looked at how far up the road was.

"Dru, love. We need to work together now."

Dru unfolded to her feet. "A, B, C." She wrapped herself around Willow and Spike, and the two vampires jumped them out of the hole in the road.

Willow could see the lights of approaching cop cars. "We should get out of here before anyone sees us."

Spike huffed. "Spoil all the fun?"

"Keep Angelus out of the loop." Willow tugged both wrists trying to get Spike and Dru to go home. "Give him time to get used to the rings. Don't let him know what they do by showing off right away."

"Cherrywise." Drusilla nodded. "My Spike, take me home."

"Fine." He turned, and the girls followed, Willow running to keep up with the vampires.

She wanted to bring back the air of fun, so she knocked her body against Spike's then stuck her tongue out at him. "Don't be a glum goose."

"I'll bite that tongue if you aren't careful," he said but with a faint smile. Dru giggled, and they slowed down.

"You haven't been able to bite it yet, old man."

"Who are you calling old? I'm in my prime."

"Prime time television maybe," Willow joked. "I never knew vampires could be so obsessed with sitcoms and soap operas."

"Not for much longer. I'll be going out in the day once I can get out from under Angelus' boot. And you living or dead will come with me and Dru for walks in the park. We'll own the Hellmouth."

Willow pretended that made her happy, but inside she died a little more, leading her to wonder, how much of her was still alive?

* * *

"Buffy! What are you doing?" Janna couldn't believe her eyes.

"Trust me. With Slayer healing my leg's fine, and this cast has to go if I'm going to save Willow."

"But you don't even know where she is."

"No, but I'm betting Giles does. I saw him sneaking off with the others yesterday." The cast was bits of plaster on her carpet now.

"Your mother's funeral and wake are tomorrow."

"I lost Angel and my mother. I'm not losing Willow too." Buffy shoved her feet into her boots and then bent to lace them. When she stood and walked out the door, Janna followed.

"I want to help."

"Amy and Michael showed up twenty minutes ago, help them with the curse." Buffy barged into Giles' study finding everyone there. "Tell me."

"Of course, Buffy." Giles said.

* * *

"What's with the matching rings?" Angelus asked as he kicked his feet up on the coffee table.

"Saw 'em in an antique store, thought they'd make our girls happy." Spike popped a piece of blooming onion in his mouth. "Wished there were four, but there were only three." Spike tossed a bigger brass and emerald ring at Angelus. "Thought you could wear the big one as head of the family and everything."

Angelus put the ring on his middle finger like the other three wore theirs. "Didn't you win this one in a game of poker against that Earl you hated so much? Never thought you'd part with it."

"That was a few lifetimes ago, mate." Spike ate the last of the onion, picked up his plate and took it to the kitchen.

"How are my ladies today?" Angelus asked.

"We're fine, Angelus." Willow moved her pawn fruitlessly. Dru wasn't playing by any rules that made sense to Willow.

"I'm winning, Daddy! Anytime now I'll capture the Queen."

"You already did."

"Then I've already won. How fun." Drusilla clapped and reset the pieces. "Let's do it again."

"Whatever you want, Dru."

Angelus grabbed Willow by her hair and dragged her to her feet. "You should be nicer to her if you know what's good for you."

"Like you're nice to her?" Willow asked venomously.

He cocked his hand back, but she ripped out of his grip and ducked.

"You'll regret that, little one."

Willow's eyes got huge when she saw Giles sticking explosives to the garden door. "Dru! Run!" She pivoted and ran for the kitchen, pulling Dru with her, Angelus on their heels. The blast rumbled the entire mansion.

"What the hell!" Angelus turned to look back at his devastated living room. "Who dares?"

When he saw Buffy and company crunching through the rubble, he grabbed Willow's arm, twisted it behind her, and shielded himself with her. His other hand tangled in Willow's hair, pushing her head to the side, perfect for biting.

"The game's over." Buffy's arms akimbo, she glared at him.

"It's over when I say it's over."

Spike tossed Drusilla one of his apples. "Looks like dear ol' dad's in a spot of trouble."

"Spike, Dru, take care of our guests."

They bit into their apples but didn't move.

"Dru! Spike!"

Around his mouthful of food. "Only if you agree I've won the game."

"Fine whatever, just take care of them!"

"OK." Spike threw the apple with full strength and hit Buffy in the stomach. She grunted and said, "This is our last fight, Spike. You're dust one way or other."

"Buffy no!" Willow screamed. "You can't beat him!"

With a smirk, Buffy staked Spike only for her eyes to turn into saucers when he didn't dust, and the wound closed in seconds. He reached behind him for Angelus' imitation Aphrodite statue and hit her in the head with it.

Buffy went down and Giles fired his crossbow. Spike laughed as he pulled the bolt from his chest. "This is fun, let's make it more fun. I'll take on the rest of you at the same time."

"What's going on, Spike?" Angelus yelled.

"Just some mojo I didn't know worked till now." Spike batted the children away as if they were paper dolls, laughing the whole time.

"Spike! Stop! Please!" Willow gasped when Angelus pulled her wrist up toward her shoulder blade. "Don't hurt them!"

Angelus dislocated her shoulder, but it allowed her to escape his grip and run for the sunlit living room. She turned and pled with Spike to stop hurting her friends. Angelus had to stay in the shadows, but Drusilla stepped past the shadows, turned and looked at her sire.

"I hope you survive. If you do, maybe we'll meet again, Daddy." She pushed Cordelia into the wall and shot Spike a look that communicated a monologue's worth of information.

Spike stepped back with his hands in the air. "Fine. But we're going for a walk. All three of us."

Willow fell into his arms and wept her thanks. He took her hand and Drusilla took the other one and they walked out into the sun. Willow didn't dare look over her shoulder at her friends.


	10. Chapter 10

Light beat against Buffy's eyelids searing into her throbbing skull. She shielded her face and groaned. "What happened?"

Giles helped her sit up. "Spike and Drusilla are invulnerable. They walked out with Willow, and Angelus disappeared into the electrical tunnels."

"Is everyone OK?"

"Xander has a couple broken ribs, it looks like Oz and Cordelia have concussions."

"The curse?" Buffy asked as she got to her feet.

"We don't know."

She beat some dust off her pants. "Get the others to the hospital, I'm going to look around here for clues. Wait, the cops are probably on their way."

"Unlikely. We've been here for hours and I haven't heard a single siren." Giles stood up. "Find what clues you can then come home. If you Spike or Dru or especially both of them, don't engage. We need to make them vulnerable again first."

"Got it." Buffy winced as she stretched her neck and arms.

Giles walked out of the debris and into the setting sun. The others joined him climbing the stairs out of the garden. Buffy turned and walked down the hall. The entertainment room was sparse, but she found the ottoman full of pictures of Willow, in different stages of undress and injury. Buffy was halfway through the pile when she found a video tape. She put it in the player when she found the electricity still working. She hit play and couldn't take her eyes off the screen.

Angelus was beating Willow with a some kind of club. In an hour she was black with bruises and blood seeped from her nose and mouth. Her screams were deafening even with the volume low. When he pulled out a knife and tore it through her thigh, Buffy winced but still couldn't tear her eyes away. He cut her face asking her if she wanted him to finish the job and cut it off, but Willow passed out and went limp in her chains.

"It's no fun if they can't scream." Angelus threw the recorder into a wall and the video bled to black and then snow.

"Oh my God." Buffy's hand covered her mouth.

* * *

"How about some ice cream?" Spike asked trying to get Willow to smile. "You can have as many scoops as you want."

"Ice cream won't make me better, Spike. You hurt my friends when you didn't have to. I'm not going to be OK with that." Willow hugged her knees to her chest.

"The friends that took over a month to even find out where you were? This town for all its attractions isn't that big. You shouldn't have been that hard to find." Spike sat on the picnic table next to Willow and wrapped an arm around her.

"It's still not OK. If anyone should beat them up, it's me."

"Oh my lovely Cherrywise." Dru pulled Willow's head to her shoulder running her fingers through the silky red hair. "Smile for me please. Smile in me. Be in me."

Willow's eyes fluttered shut, and she lost herself in Drusilla, playing as Rose and Grandmum through fields of flowers, laughing in the sun and spinning in dizzying circles until they fell to the ground to gaze at the spinning sky. But there was still a niggle in the back of her brain telling her that it wasn't all fun and games, breaking Drusilla's hold on her mind. "Let me go home."

"We'll take you home, deary. But we'll always be there if you need us. All you have to do is think hard and we'll be there as soon as we can." Drusilla let Willow lift her head. "Shall we walk you?"

"Please."

Spike sighed. "You live on Oak?"

"Yes."

He stood up, picked her up off the table and set her on her feet. "Let's see to it you get there safe and sound."

Willow hugged Spike. "I wouldn't have survived without you and Dru. Thank you." She reached out and took Drusilla's hand. "Both of you."

"You're my granddaughter."

They walked home with Willow changing who she was leaning on every block.

It was dusk when they reached her house, and someone just turned on the living room light. "What am I going to tell my parents?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something." Spike kissed the top of her head.

Willow turned to Dru, hugged and kissed her. "I will miss you."

"We'll be round too much for you to a miss a thing. You're ours now and always. When you figure that out we'll be inseparable like a diamond doll chain." She kissed Willow again. "I know you'll ask."

Spike messed up Willow's hair. "Now off with you before I take that choice away."

She hugged him again quick and then rushed up her sidewalk, and into the house. "Mom! Dad!"

"Willow what are you wearing?" Sheila asked as she came out of the study.

"Oh, hush, she looks nice," Ira said coming out of the living room with the paper in his hand.

"Ira! She's wearing a corset and leather pants. And her hair is bright red. Willow why would you do this to yourself?"

Not hearing the condemnation in her mother's tone, Willow hugged her, and then her father. "I missed you."

"How's Buffy? We got home and found out you were staying with her because her mother died."

"She's doing a little better, so I came home for a night." Willow had forgotten that Angelus drained Joyce and then set the house on fire so Buffy would never see her mother's face again.

Ira was on Willow's left and his eyes narrowed. "When did you get that scar?"

"Dad, don't you remember? I fell through Buffy's patio door and cut my face?" They wouldn't know Buffy didn't have a patio door. They'd never bothered to meet Buffy or Joyce.

"Huh. You'd think I'd remember that."

"You were in the Camans that month."

"I'm just glad we got to see you before we had to go to China for a two weeks," Sheila said. "I'm ordered Chinese for dinner. It should be here any minute. Why don't you get cleaned up and changed into something appropriate for dinner."

"Sure thing, Mom."

* * *

From under the tree in the back yard, Angelus watched the Rosenbergs eat dinner. Willow looked happy and smiled easy. It made him sick. That bitch would pay.


	11. Chapter 11

"Amy? Did the spell work?" Janna asked.

"Unlikely. You saw the Orb shatter mid-curse." Amy glanced at Michael. "Something about the spell was too powerful. Maybe something went wrong in the translation? Or someone tried to get out of the price. Either way, as it reads that curse is useless."

Janna wanted to kick herself. How did she think the powers would let her get out of the price? "I have another version. And if we get another Orb, how long until we can perform it?"

"We can try again immediately," Michael said. "Since the spell didn't finish, it didn't tap us."

"I'll be back in a half and hour."

* * *

Buffy was walking up her sidewalk when she heard a lighter ignite. "Spike. What do you want?"

"Just to let you know I know where you live and that Willow's mine. You shouldn't try to impede that if you want to stay alive." He ambled into the moonlight blowing a streams of gray out his nose.

"If Willow's yours, then why didn't you stop Angelus from torturing her?" Buffy snapped.

"Who said he was the only one to torture her?" Spike laughed when she was speechless. "That's right, when done just so, your little friend likes it dark. She screams for more."

"She didn't look like she was having a good time." Buffy tossed the video cassette at him and he made no move to catch it so it clattered on the stone. "I saw the tape."

"Well, your boy doesn't have the touch, sad to say. Willow's tastes, while catholic, are also refined." Spike smirked as he walked past the Slayer. "And I know all the ways to make her moan."

Buffy clenched her fists. As he breathed words into her ear. "I'd be happy to show you. What do you say? Wanna have a go?"

She sucked in trying to remember that fighting him would be certain death right now. Until they could turn him back into a normal vampire, she didn't stand a chance.

"Or would you rather have my Dru between your legs. Willow always enjoyed it when Dru would go down on her."

Drusilla walked out of the shadows of the porch, licking her fingertips. "She tasted like cherries and cream. What do you taste like?"

Buffy bit back her smart ass comment of 'ash' and glared at Drusilla.

The two vampires walked away humming, leaving Buffy to boil over with impotence.

Janna rushed up the sidewalk pretending to not recognize Spike and Dru as they passed her. When she saw Buffy standing a few feet from the porch, her concern grew. "Buffy? Are you OK?"

"Fine. I mean my best friend was tortured for a month probably raped, my boyfriend is evil, my mother's dead, and Spike and Dru can't be killed. Things are peachy, side of keen." Buffy's sarcasm was harsher than usual.

"We can fix one thing. I got a new Orb and a better version of the curse. We can still save Angel."

"Janna? Why would you want to? He killed your uncle, and you didn't see what he did to Willow." Buffy bent over to pick up the video tape. "But I have and trust me, I don't think I can ever look at him again."

"He might know how to get Willow away from Spike and Drusilla. We need all the information and firepower we can get." Janna touched Buffy's arm. "At least come inside."

"Yeah. Inside." Buffy shook her head and followed her guardian into the house.

* * *

With the lights out, Willow waited in her room for Angelus to show up. She knew he would. He wasn't the kind of creature to take a defeat and let it lie. No, he'd want revenge, want to make her pay for slipping through his fingers.

The door handle moved then crunched as he broke it around midnight. "Thought you could get away from me that easy? I'm not that easily put off my goals."

"I thought no such thing, Angelus. I'm not going to fight you."

He grabbed her upper arm and pulled her off the bed. "That might just save your parents."

Angelus dragged her out her French doors and through the yard. He dragged her all the way to his old apartment, ranting the entire way about how she had questions to answer and a pound of flesh to pay.

He tossed her to the floor, and she smiled up at him. "You think you've won? What an idiot the great Angelus turned out to be."

"Watch your mouth little girl." He raised his hand to backhand her.

Willow caught Angel's arm and in a trance sucked his strength out of him. His eyes glowed as he fell to his knees.

"You picked on the wrong girl." She punched him hard enough to pop his eye out of its socket.

His hand flew to his face, cupping the dangling eyeball. "Willow? What happened? Oh god, what happened?"

Willow laughed as she realized what happened. "Looks like someone finally got around to cursing you again."

Angel gasped in pain. "Finally?"

"It'll come back to you. It's OK, I'll wait." There was a billow of dust when she sat on the couch.

He tried to put his eye back in, but she snatched it out of his fingers and crushed it under her boot as he screamed. "Xander didn't get to keep his. You don't get to keep yours."

Angel couldn't stop panting, and he felt something he'd lost long ago. "My heart. It's beating."

"It's temporary. But you might get to understand what you did to me and if you're lucky you'll survive it." She raised an eyebrow as his memories come back. "Do you get it yet?"

"Willow. I-I how can I make it right?" He bowed his head. "I can't, can I?"

"No, you can't." She grabbed him by his hair and dragged him till he was prone in front of her.

"I'm so sorr…"

"Bored now." She cracked his skull under her boot.

The trance wore off and Willow frowned at Angel. She remembered everything and felt nothing. She left him writhing on the floor and walked home.


	12. Chapter 12

"Why can't we just go get her?" Spike whined.

"She needs to come to us. When all her normal is revealed as smoke, she'll be begging to be a real part of the family. But you can't force it like a rocket, darling. Though we might be able to coax her like a kitten with cream and nuts." Drusilla twirled. "Now dance with me."

"Always." He wrapped his arms around her and hummed a tune while they danced in the park, sun high, and birds chirping.

* * *

Willow's parents left before she woke up. She picked up her phone and called the one person she needed to see as soon as possible.

"Is Xander home?"

She pulled her ear away when his mother screamed his name. "Hello?"

"Xander! Tell me you're free. I want to get ice cream."

"Willow? Oh my God, I'll be there in ten minutes." He hung up the phone and Willow decided that the corset might not be something he could handle.

She flipped through the hangers in her closet looking for something to wear. Everything was so bright and fluffy. When was the last time she wore pink? She couldn't remember. Her pink fuzzy super comfy sweater in hand, she opened her dresser and pulled out a black cami.

Xander arrived as she was pulling her hair back in a french braid. With one last look at her makeup job, she went down and enveloped him in her arms. "I've missed you so much."

"Willow." He buried his face in the crook of her neck. "Never leave me again."

She pulled back and touched his face under his missing eye. "I took Angel's eye last night and I will never let anyone hurt you ever again. I promise."

"That's my line. Wait a minute. You took his eye? How did you take his eye?"

"The same way he took yours, except I also stomped on his. I read that losing an eye can affect your taste. Do you still like ice cream?" Willow grabbed the leather coat Spike got her and slipped her arms through the sleeves.

"Can we back up to you explaining how you took Angel's eye?" Xander blocked the door.

"But I told you already. Xander? What's wrong." She watched his hand reach for her neck until she couldn't see it anymore. "Are you taking my pulse?"

"Willow if you hit Angel hard enough to pop his eye out, I'm going to think they turned you. But you have a pulse."

"Of course I have a pulse." She laughed and dragged him out of the house. "Is that shop near the pier good for you?"

"Yeah, but don't you think we should go tell Buffy and everyone that you're OK?"

"After we have some much needed rebonding. That's the longest we've ever gone without seeing each other. I want you all to myself for a while." She laced her arm through his. "So ice cream, still like it?"

"Different flavors but yeah." He tried to lift the daze. How could she be acting so nonchalant? She was on his left so he couldn't look at her without seeing the livid scar on the side of her face. "No offense but I expected you to be, I don't know, more traumatized or something."

"I got over the trauma weeks ago. But I never stopped missing my friends. But don't worry, I'll be properly sullen around Buffy. I heard about her mom. I hope telling her that her mother was dead before the fire started will ease some of her grief. I mean, at least she didn't die burning. Fire's the worst."

Xander stared at Willow the whole way to the pier. She did all the navigating and babbled the whole way. And God did he ever not want to know any of that stuff about Spike and Angelus. It was fine for people to be gay but he didn't need that many details.

* * *

Angel pulled himself off the floor around noon, and collapsed on the couch. He grieved for Willow that he screwed her up so much that she got violently cruel. He deserved what she did and worse, but Willow shouldn't be like that. Angel knew he stole her light, and for all her ability to smile and laugh with Dru and Spike, the luminescence was an illusion, bright but solid white in a dark room.

The void where his eye had been was only the beginning of his recompense. He needed to find a way to return Willow's inner glow. He couldn't give Xander back his eye, or Buffy back her mother, but if he was clever, he might be able to help Willow heal.

Starting tomorrow. Right now he couldn't get off the couch.

* * *

The knock was a bit frantic, and when Buffy answered it, she couldn't believe her eyes. "Willow?" She pulled Willow into a Slayer strength hug tears leaking out the corners of her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

Willow pat Buffy's back. "Buffy, I'm fine. We're all shades of good."

"I missed you so much." Buffy still hadn't let go. "I failed you so completely, can you ever forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive." Willow continued to pat Buffy's back. "Could you loosen up before you crack a rib? Those suck."

Buffy's arm went lax and she stepped back with a look of horror on her face. "I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing. I have something important to tell you." Willow waited for a moment. "Could we take this inside?"

With a shake of her head, Buffy said, "Yes, of course." She stepped back and Willow waltzed in and whistled.

"This place is nice." She took in the high coffered ceilings and the intricate crown moldings. It was in desperate need of a paint job, but with the events of the last month she understood why no one had gotten to it.

Giles' couch was against the wall and Willow plopped down before remembering her promise to be solemn. She cleared her throat and sat up straight. "Buffy, can you sit with me?"

"OK." Buffy sat down next to Willow while Xander closed the door. "What did you want to tell me?"

Willow tried to compose her face to be as consoling as possible but it felt out of place. "It's about your mother. She was already dead before the fire started."

"Oh, um, did he… uh…"

"He snapped her neck. She'd have been dead in an instant with very little pain."

Buffy let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Tears flowed freely, but they were in relief. Hearing that her mother hadn't suffered relieved a pressure balloon that had been taking up half her chest. She hugged Willow again, and Willow wrapped an arm around her and massaged Buffy's head with her other hand. It was more intimate than Buffy was comfortable with so she pulled away. "Thank you for telling me."

"Of course." Willow couldn't think of what else to say. "I should probably go."

"Not until Giles and Janna see you."

"Janna?"

"Miss Calendar."

"Oh, OK." Willow got up and started to peek into boxes.

Buffy jerked her head toward the stairs until Xander understood that she wanted him to come with her. They were upstairs when she whispered, "Is it just me or is Willow acting really weird?"

"Nope, not just you. It's like she's trying to wear skin that doesn't belong to her anymore. Which is a creepy image might I add."

"It's like nothing touches her."

"I don't think anything does. Buffy, she probably had to shut most of herself down to survive that hell. We need to help her flip herself back on. It's going to take time."

"I guess I just expected her to be more jumpy or sad. She's acting like nothing happened. Or trying to and it's scary."

"We should get Giles and Janna before Willow decides she doesn't feel like waiting anymore. And later I'll give you the full scope of the scary."

Buffy nodded and knocked on the master bedroom door. "Giles. Janna. Willow's here. She'd like to see you."

The door flew open and Giles, wearing only a pair of boxers looked stricken. "She's free?"

"Yes. And please ask her how that happened. I haven't gotten there yet. Get dressed first. We'll be downstairs." Buffy stiffly turned and shuddered trying to wipe away the sight of Giles' chest hair.

Xander and Buffy rejoined Willow who was watching the tape Buffy brought home last night. The television and VCR were sitting on crates and Willow sat cross legged in front of them with her head cocked to the side watching Angelus cut her face on fast forward. "Huh, he didn't record breaking my bones. He must have had a senile moment. He loves breaking bones."

"Willow?" Buffy said. "Are you talking to us?"

Willow turned as the video began to snow. "Oh, sorry. No. I was just musing to myself."

Xander rubbed his neck and looked everywhere but at Willow. "Hey you know what we need to do? Tell Willow what she missed at school."

Buffy smiled overly bright. "Yeah. It's been school with the studying and the tests and despair. Maybe this isn't such a good topic to talk about."

"How's Cordy?" Willow asked. "I saw her at the mansion, and Oz. How's Oz?"

"They miss you," Buffy said. "I should call them. I'll be in the kitchen."

When Xander heard Giles and Janna on the stairs, he laughed nervously. "I'm going to go and help Buffy with those calls. Hi, Giles, Janna. Bye."

Giles frowned at Xander's departure. Then he took in Willow. Her hair was a lot brighter, and she was wearing leather pants, boots, and coat with a pink sweater with black under it. "It's good to see you, Willow."

She waved at him. "You too. And Janna, wasn't expecting the name change. What's up with that?"

"Um it's my real name, Willow. I'm Rom."

Willow nodded in understanding. "It was your family that cursed Angel the first time. Why'd it take so long to curse him again?"

"The spell was in a language that had been lost to my people since right after cursing Angel. Darla, Spike and Dru killed everyone who knew how to speak it. But Oz and I used translation algorithms and Amy and Michael performed the spell. We think it worked."

"It did. The timing on that was perfect. He didn't even fight back when I took his eye out." She smiled awkwardly. "So it's official then? You two are a serious couple?"

"Um, well, yes, we are Willow," Giles said rubbing Janna's shoulder.

"And the two of you have custody of Buffy? How'd that happen?"

"I reasoned with Buffy's father. Willow, I'd rather hear about you."

"No you don't, trust me." The tape had rewound itself and ejected, so when Willow took a step back, she bumped it back in, and the sounds of her screams started shortly after. She turned and fumbled to eject the tape again. The tape fit in her jacket pocket though it was a snug fit. "Sorry about that. I'm just going to take this with me."

"Willow, has anyone offered you something to drink?" Janna asked.

"I'm fine. But thank you."

"Would you like to sit?" Giles asked gesturing to the couch.

"Sure. OK." Willow sat down and searched for something to say. "Your arm must be all healed."

"What? Oh, you heard?" Giles felt out of his depth sitting with Willow.

"Angelus likes to brag." Willow bobbed her head. "Does it hurt when it's humid or raining?"

"It does actually."

"I have those issues too."

Buffy and Xander returned and she said, "So Oz and Cordy are both on their way. Getting rides from their parents 'cause they're concussed."

"Ah." Willow couldn't believe she was wishing this, but she wanted to be with Spike and Dru again. At least she knew how to talk to them and they knew how to talk to her.


	13. Chapter 13

"So Willow, tell us how you escaped." Buffy tried for a neutral expression but could feel the nervous smile itching the corners of her mouth.

"I didn't need to. I asked Drusilla and Spike to walk me home after they fixed my dislocated shoulder. They did. That simple." A lock of hair had escaped her braid, and she tucked it behind her ear.

"Oh. That's great."

"Willow?" Giles started. "Do you know why Spike and Dru can survive stakes and sunlight?"

"It's weird huh? Sorry, can't help you with that." Willow feared if she told them about the rings they'd kill her friend and more than friend.

"Hey, we should go out," Xander said. "Wanna Bronze it like old times?"

"Those old times were a month ago, Xander. And I don't want to pressure Buffy. She needs to be allowed to grieve." Willow pulled her legs under her. "When's the funeral?"

"Tomorrow. It's a more of a wake, since we can't have a viewing. And it was supposed to be today, but Janna rescheduled it with everyone."

"May I come?"

Buffy sat next to Willow, putting her hand on her knee. "You didn't even need to ask."

Giles answered the knock on the door. "Cordelia, please come in."

"Is she OK?" Cordelia asked and then turned away from Giles to see Willow wearing black with a splash of pink and looking like she wanted to be anywhere but here. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine Cordelia. Thanks for asking. And you?"

"I'm so nauseous and dizzy. Eck, never get a concussion."

"I know. But after a while the dizziness can be fun." Everyone was staring at Willow. "You know like spinning in an office chair is fun."

"You must have never had one." Cordelia sat on the floor.

"Actually, I've had a few. Vampires, violence, sorta like burgers and chips. They just, um, go together." Willow stood up. "You know I'd appreciate it if you'd all stop staring at me like I'm some kind of freak."

Everyone mumbled apologies except Cordelia how just shrugged.

With a sigh, Willow said, "I'm going to get myself something to drink. Don't get up. I can find everything on my own."

When Xander still tried to follow her, she turned to face him. "That was me saying I need a moment alone."

"Oh, sorry." When Willow disappeared Xander faced the others. "And can this get any more awkward?"

There was another knock at the door. "I believe it can." Giles opened the door. "Come in, Oz."

"Hey. Where is she?"

"Kitchen, having a moment alone." Xander sat on the arm of the couch.

Oz knocked on the doorframe. "Willow? Can I come in?"

"Yeah."

He walked through the swinging door and saw Willow staring out the window over the sink. Her hands were pressing down on the counter, arms stiff and her head dropped to look in the sink. "Before you ask, I'm fine for a freak."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. I just want to go home." She backed up and looked at him. "But my home has a huge hole blown in the side. Not exactly habitable."

"I see." He turned his head to scope out the kitchen. "I can walk you back to parents' if you want."

"That's nice of you Oz, but I really need to be alone right now." She walked out the back door.

Oz returned to the living room. "She left."

"I don't know what to do. The one constant in my life was that I got Willow. And now I don't, and it's all my fault. I should have never left her alone with Angel." Xander disappeared into the kitchen.

"I think we need to concentrate on how we can help Willow," Janna said. "Starting with keeping in mind that we shouldn't stare at her."

"But she's nuts. What she said about concussions?" Cordelia shook her head. "And that's the kind of thing we should avoid, isn't it?"

"It is." Buffy rested her head on the back of the sofa. "I feel like I'm still failing her."

"This isn't going to be easy, on any of us I predict. But Willow's still a part of this family, and I won't give up on her." Giles' expression was stern. "And if any of you want to give up on her, then you can leave right now."

Janna took a breath. "What we need to do is normalize what's happened to her. If she's not crying over it neither should we. I say we familiarize ourselves with what we know she's gone through so we can be ready for anything she might say."

"Multiple concussions obviously," Cordelia said. "And she considered them fun so other stuff had to be way worse."

"They were." Buffy swallowed the lump in her throat. "Angelus beat her until her entire body was black from the bruises. She said he broke a lot of her bones, and Spike mentioned them healing her when necessary. Angelus cut her face, and her thigh, deep."

"When did you talk to Spike?" Giles asked frowning.

"It was within the first week. I couldn't hurt him because if I touched any of them whatever I did to them they'd do to her. I'll be right back." Buffy went to her room and got two shoeboxes out of her closet. When she got back down she handed one to Giles and one to Janna. "But they were hurting her all the time anyway. Angelus would give me polaroids of every wound."

Giles looked inside the box and got sick to his stomach. "There must be hundreds of these."

"Nine hundred and thirteen," Buffy whispered. "And there was a video and more polaroids at the mansion."

Janna peeked into her box and immediately dropped it, photos spilling out all over the floor. "Oh my God."

Xander scooped some pictures off the floor and paled. "These are all Willow. How's she still alive?"

"They must have been feeding her vampire blood. In humans it heals them faster than vampires themselves do." Giles rubbed his forehead and looked away from the mess on the floor.

"But it didn't turn her. She has a pulse. I checked."

"If they didn't feed from her first, it wouldn't."

"If they healed all these wounds without leaving scars, how deep was the cut on her face that it scarred?" Xander asked not believing he could be any more horrified.

Buffy focused on her hands fidgeting in her lap. "Bone deep."

Xander covered his mouth and turned his head to the ceiling. "This isn't happening."

"The cut on her thigh scarred too." Oz finally sat down. "I saw it when I first saw her in the mansion. She was wearing shorts."

Giles forced himself to look through the polaroids. "She doesn't have those scars in any of these. So what escalated Angelus to harm her beyond his ability to heal her?"

"Why don't we ask him? Willow said he was at his old apartment when she was babbling at me earlier." Xander headed for the door.

"I'm coming with you," Oz said getting up.

"Me too," Cordelia said as she stood up. "Buffy? Are you coming?"

"Let me get my coat."

"We can fit six people between our cars, Rupert."

"It seems Angel will face us all." Giles plucked his jacket off the hooks near the door.

* * *

Willow entered the factory and shivered at how cold it was. "Drusilla?" she called. "Spike?"

She got no answer and her search turned up nothing, so she left.

* * *

They didn't bother knocking on Angel's door, and it was unlocked so they filed in to find Angel bloody on his couch. Xander attacked. He lifted Angel up by his wife beater and punched him over and over. "What did you do to her? What did you do to her you fucking bastard!"

Buffy pulled Xander off Angel, but she couldn't look at her ex. "Xander we need him to be able to answer the questions. He can't do that if you're pummelling him."

"I'm staking him when we're done interrogating him."

Angel laughed. "Go ahead. I deserve that and worse." He sat up and looked at the group with his one eye. "What do you want to know? How often I hit her? Every time I saw her I punched or kicked her. Do you want to know how many of her bones I broke? Every one that wouldn't kill her. More than a few times each. How about how many times I cut into her? I lost count in the thousands. I loved burning her. Most days I used it as the fastest way to get her to scream."

Buffy met his gaze and felt her stomach drop, but she took a breath and asked the question she desperately needed the answer to. "Did you rape her?"

"Drusilla and Spike talked me out of it. But she did have sex with Dru regularly. Never forced. Dru really won Willow over. Before it ended, I have to say Willow fell in love with Drusilla." Angel winced when he stood up. He walked over and opened the refrigerator, ripping into a blood bag with his fangs.

"How do I kill Spike and Dru?" Buffy asked trying hard to keep her rage in check.

"I have no idea." Angel tossed the empty blood bag in the trash. "I was as surprised as you when staking and sunlight didn't dust them. Truth be told, they kept Willow alive. Got her to smile and even laugh. You might consider thanking them before you kill them."

"What set you so off that you hurt Willow so terribly it left scars despite healing her?" Giles asked.

"We got into an argument about my desire to end the world. She lost and won. I lost my temper and shattered my chance at mastering the apocalypse, so I shattered her."

"What else should we know?" Janna asked.

"She likes breathplay."

Xander didn't wait for him to say anything else before jamming a stake in Angel's chest. He exploded into dust with a smirk on his lips. Xander sneered. "Let's go. I can't stand to be here another second."

Buffy choked back a sob and hated herself for grieving Angel's loss.

* * *

Willow found Spike and Drusilla in the park playing with a dog, a couple fresh corpses on the bench.

"Dru!" Willow rushed into Drusilla's arms.

"Cherrywise! I've missed you terribly." Dru swung Willow around before setting her back on her feet. "Do tell of your misadventures."

"I'd rather go dancing."

"Anything you want, love. Can we skip the Bronze? I know of a club in the strip that's vastly superior." Spike took Willow's hand and swung it.

"Sounds great." Willow smiled all the way to her eyes, feeling like she belonged somewhere again.


	14. Chapter 14

"She's so loose and free," Drusilla sang as they left the club with Willow leaning heavily on her.

"She's soused." Spike snorted and spit some laughter. "We all are."

"I feel so light," Willow slurred. "Spike can you carry me?"

"I can try." He laughed again and swung Willow into his arms. "Your tolerance to rum is sky high."

"Higher than the puffy things?"

"Since you don't even know they're clouds, I have to so say no. But still high." He stumbled but didn't drop her. "Dru, love?"

"Yes, my dark prince?" Drusilla was half swaying and half stumbling.

"We need a roof tonight. Ideas?"

"You can come to my parents. We'll all sleep in their super king," hiccup, "sized bed. You're totally invited." Willow passed out then.

"Cherrywise's house then," Spike grinned big and stupid. "Dru, don't walk in the street. A car accident this close would give me a headache."

"Sorry, my Spike. Rivers of stone make such nice twirly places, I couldn't help myself."

They yammered all the way to Willow's. It took half an hour but Spike found the right room and tucked Willow between him and Dru, Willow automatically curling into Drusilla. "Don't forget to share."

And they were all out cold.

* * *

Willow regretted every drink she had the night before. She was on her way to Joyce's wake, and every step through the sun hurt her head. "I'd say never again, but I'd be lying. Eventually lying anyway."

She stopped in front of Buffy's new house with Giles and Janna and sucked air in hoping for courage before entering. At least she wasn't expected to smile. Her hangovers didn't allow for smiling.

None of the people there were familiar, so Willow found the kitchen again and with it Buffy. "How you holding up?"

"My dad sent me a picture of my mom at least." Buffy showed it to Willow.

"She looks so happy. It's a good way to remember her." Willow pushed the picture back to Buffy.

They sat in silence for probably an hour before Buffy looked at Willow. "You look tired."

"I'm hungover. Rum always kicks my ass."

"Raid your parents' liquor cabinet often?"

"I think Spike owns stock in every liquor company out there. The mansion was always full up enough for random parties or boredom. We went to a club last night. Drusilla looked great in her slinky dress and her hair pulled up. But Spike always has to test my tolerance. Managed not to puke." Willow glanced up and saw Buffy staring at her like she'd died. "Sorry. You probably didn't want to hear about Spike and Dru, huh?"

"It's fine but can we talk about something else today?" Buffy didn't really think it was fine, but she didn't want to lose Willow forever by harping on her about spending time with Spike and Drusilla.

"Sure. Are you going to school tomorrow?"

"I don't know. I'll decide when I wake up if I'm up for it. What about you?"

"I'm thinking I might get my GED and apply to college. Get away from Commandant Snyder and the Cordettes." Willow sighed. "How all over each other are Xan and Cordy these days?"

"Um, they haven't been arguing much but I get the feeling you meant something else."

"I caught them kissing last time I was in the library. I guess I assumed they'd become an official couple."

"I had no idea. Xander and Cordy? Really?" Buffy scrunched up her nose.

"Really." Willow placed her hands on the table palms flat. "Tell me you have pain killers and yogurt."

"As it so happens." Buffy got up and retrieved the ibuprofen, poured Willow a glass of water, and balanced those items with a yogurt and spoon. "Here you go."

"I need to crown you queen. Remind me about that when my head isn't threatening to spill out my ears."

"Will do." Buffy started, stopped and then gave in and asked, "Are you gay?"

"Kinda, I suppose. Never really thought much about it." Willow popped the pills and washed them down. "Why?"

"We went to see Angel last night, and he said that you had sex with Drusilla on like a regular basis I guess."

"Not that it was his place to tell you anything, but yeah. Drusilla's special, you know."

"But she eats people."

"And you eat burgers. What's your point?" Willow peeled the lid off the yogurt container.

"Um, I thought that was the point. Her and Spike, how they kill people."

Willow took a thoughtful bite of yogurt. She remembered a time when she agreed with Buffy. But she couldn't think of Spike and Dru as mindless monsters. With a shrug, she decided it didn't matter, so long as they didn't hurt her friends. She continued to eat her yogurt.

"Willow, killing people is wrong."

"Why?" Willow sighed and set her food aside. "Buffy, no offense but what's so special about people? They pollute and kill their way across the entire planet. I don't get what the big deal is about culling the herd."

"People aren't animals. They're not a herd."

"But we are. Buffy, we're all animals. We eat, sleep, breathe, mate, reproduce, and kill each other. Saying we aren't animals is pretentious. Especially when we're worse than most, because we're killing the planet too. You think vampires are so terrible but really, we need more of them not less. We need kept in check and there aren't enough vampires out there to do that right now. I get that you've been forced by the Council to kill them, but really, all you need to do is stop the perennial apocalypse and relax the rest of the year."

Buffy stood up, her mouth a thin line. "This is my mother's wake. She was killed by one of your precious vampires, and you need to leave."

"Joyce died from her own stupidity. Don't act like you didn't warn her. I know better." Willow raised an eyebrow at Buffy's loss for words.

"Out."

Willow smirked at her as she stood up. Buffy threw a punch but Willow grabbed the fist and sucked Buffy's energy. She didn't hit Buffy, but she did leave her wobbly. "I'm not a pushover anymore, Buff."

Slayer energy worked wonders to get rid of a hangover. Willow was all smiles as she made her way back home.

Spike scowled at her when she walked in the house. "How is it you look like a bloody daisy?"

"Sucked off some of Buffy's Slayer juice. I'll give it up when I'm sure I'm free and clear of any sign of hangover." Willow skipped into the kitchen. "Let's see if the rents left any food."

"Not a lot." Spike scratched his stomach and leaned in the doorway, because he had it on good authority he looked sexy leaning in doorways. "Already raided the icebox. Hangovers…"

"Make you peckish. I know." She smiled at him before looking in the fridge herself. "Ooh, lox. Yummy."

"If you say so, love. Could never stand the stuff myself."

"Dru's still sleeping?"

"You know how she sleeps late when she's hungover. Better for everyone trust me. She's a terror when she's got a headache."

"I'll take your word for it." Willow put a sandwich together and poured herself some milk.

"So why did you snack on the Slayer? You also must answer how you do that at all, forewarned."

Willow chewed her first bite and considered her answer. "She's a close minded bitch is why. The how is that I had down time between the torture at the mansion and taught myself different types of trances. I can go into any of seven at a moment's notice."

"I like you more and more every day." He picked off some of her sandwich and spit it out when he tasted the lox. "I will teach you about good food. That is not it."

"Spike."

"Yes?"

"You're my best friend. Never change."

He smiled at her. "Don't worry your cute head about it. Vampires don't change much." He frowned when her head tilted and he saw how livid that scar still was. "Hey, you wanna try to fix that?"

"How?"

"Cut it open again and drink more vampire blood. Might get rid of it. We were healing so much last time, your body didn't prioritize the cuts. It probably would now."

"Sure, let's give it a go." She tossed him a knife from the butcher's block. "You were always better with a blade than Angelus."

"You should let me sire you. You're already half vampire with the way you take pain and dish it out."

"Nah, I don't want to be seventeen for the rest of eternity."

"We'll talk about it again in a few years. Now get your ass over here so I can fix your face."

She sat on the floor with her face in his lap while he traced the jagged scar, cutting deep enough for her to gasp.

"Willow?" Xander called angry and desperate as he entered the house.

"Shit," Willow muttered.

"Can't stop now, ducks." He bit his wrist open and offered it to her.

Her eyes closed as the pain in her face disappeared with the rivulets of blood coursing down her throat.

"Oh my God, Willow!"

She licked her lips clean and looked up at her childhood friend. "Hey, Xan? Here to lecture me?"


	15. Chapter 15

Willow uncurled to her feet and glared Xander into backing up with every step she took toward him. "Let me guess, Buffy went crying to you and since you're still in love with her, you came here to yell at your best friend since we were five."

"It's not like that." Xander hit the door jamb of the living room and fell.

She leaned over him. "What is it like?" She pulled him to his feet and sauntered to the couch. By the time she was sitting, Spike was handing her a soapy cloth to clean the blood off her face.

Spike smiled at her. "Perfection."

"Come on Xander what's it like?"

Xander stumbled in front of her and decided sitting was his best bet. "Willow, this isn't you. You aren't cruel. You don't hurt your friends at the funeral for their mother. You cry over broken yellow crayons and help people."

"I see. You're upset that I'm not my old weak self. Well guess what Xander, I grew up and survived hell. Now it's a vacation spot. If that's a problem I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard for you to abandon me again. You could even steal Angel's soul and send him my way for all I care right now."

"I dusted him last night."

Spike snarled, grabbed the boy up and slammed him against the wall, breaking a picture frame. "How dare you?"

Willow stood up and put her hand on Spike's arm. It kept Spike from doing more damage but he continued to hold Xander fast to the wall. "Xander? Please tell me you weren't trying to avenge me."

"I can't believe you'd complain about me killing him for yo…" Xander shut up when Spike slammed him against the wall again.

"You miserable piece of shit." Spike spat his words. "We only wanted to knock him down a peg or two. He was family. Why shouldn't I kill you to avenge him?"

"By that logic, why didn't you kill Angelus for killing Darla. Spike, let him go."

Spike let Xander go, but he kicked him while he was down. "Don't even think about getting back up if you want to be breathing when you leave here."

"Willow," Xander pleaded.

"Sorry, Xan but you brought this on yourself. You'll either accept that I've changed or you'll walk out of my life forever. Though I'd rather you crawled out the door right now at the very least."

Xander cowered until Willow grabbed his wrist insanely tight. "Ow."

"Leave. I might feel more magnanimous tomorrow if you're brave enough to come for me this time." She dropped his arm, and on his hands and knees he scrambled out of the house.

Drusilla stepped off the bottom stair. "Did I miss playtime?" She placed her hands on Willow's waist and smiled at the scarless face. "You're all new again."

"Spike fixed me. I think you might be right calling him a prince."

"Let's play dress up and go to tea."

"My closet is not a place to get any passable clothes."

"We'll go shopping." Drusilla leaned toward Spike. "Girls only. Psst, psst."

"That's fine, love. I need a really vile kill right now anyway."

"We'll bring you back someone nice for dessert." The long time lovers kissed while Drusilla held Willow close.

Spike eyed Willow until she nodded her understanding. "Have a good time, ladies."

* * *

The women browsed through the boutique in search of the right outfits for tea. "You should get a hat, deary."

"I love hats." Willow stepped over the dying clerk. "Is purple too garish against my hair?"

"A touch." Drusilla picked up a black pillbox hat with a small veil that covered the eyes. "This is perfect."

"We'll build on it." Willow pinned the hat in her hair. "I feel so Jackie O at a funeral."

"Some of her best moments." Drusilla flipped through the clothes on the closest rack. "No, no, no, no, no. Hm, maybe. No, and no."

"For a high end store they have little of anything appealing." Willow frowned as she clacked the hangers together searching the only rack they hadn't inspected already. But then she found it. "This."

"Red is my Cherrywise's color and leather with rosettes suits you. And you still have to breathe."

"You're right. It looks form fitting but not suffocating. I'm going to try it on." Willow disappeared into the dressing room, passing a dead saleswoman. When she returned, she found Drusilla playing with her food. "Dru, honey, we still need to find you a new dress."

"There's nothing left here," Dru complained dropping the mostly dead saleswoman.

Willow pouted. "Put her out of her misery, for me, please?"

Dru kicked the woman's head far enough to the side that it snapped. "Anything for you, my smart beautiful granddaughter."

"Let's go next door. Those dresses looked more your style."

"I liked the white one in the window."

"It would look lovely on you. Let's go so you can try it on."

Willow walked out with three bags of clothes and wearing the leather dress.

* * *

At tea, Drusilla's expression clouded over. "Tell me the truth."

"Always."

"Daddy's dust isn't he?"

"I'm sorry, Dru." She reached across the table and took Drusilla's hand. "But I promise I didn't do it."

"It was your tin soldier. I want to pluck him for taking my sire away from me."

"He's already lost one eye. And leaving him blind wouldn't bring Angelus back. Can't we let him go, this one time?"

"Broken digits would help make that sale."

"How many?"

"Two."

"Agreed." Willow squeezed Drusilla's hand. "I'm proud of you."

"Why?"

"Because I was right about you. There are more important things to you than whatever strikes through your beautifully wicked thoughts." Willow smiled at her lover. "Now drink up before your tea gets cold."

"We still need to pick up a nice cake for our Spike. Thoughts?" Drusilla sipped her tea.

Willow held her cup close to her lips and whispered, "Don't look but that man over there is a real slice, and he's been eyeing me since we got here. He's tall, dark hair, wide shoulders. So especially Spike's type."

"We must pick him up before we leave."

"Agreed." Willow could see the cocky arrogance as the man continued to eyeball her. He was one of those men that felt entitled to any woman that piqued his interest. She could read him like a children's primer. "But for now answer me this: how long have you been rooting for me to win the game?"

"Since I thought of the game, naturally."

"I love you."

"And I you." She tossed the rest of her tea over her shoulder splashing it all over their target's lady companion. "Too bitter. Let's go back to heaven."

"Give me two shakes and meet me in the parking lot."

Five minutes later, Willow steered the cocky man toward home, with Drusilla coming up on his other side, stringing her arm through his. "Now you've got an angel on each arm."

"My lucky day," he said with an arrogant smirk.

"I'd say it's our lucky day," Willow flirted. "Come home with us?"

"Lead the way."

* * *

The middle of the night found Willow and Drusilla in the back yard. "Dru, I'm not as strong as you. You dig the grave."

"Don't be cheeky. I don't bury, I plant."

"Then you should plant him fast before anyone gets spoiled of the surprise."

"Good point." Drusilla dug the grave in less than ten minutes, plopped the body in the hole, and filled the hole in. "Spike was cross that I ate his present."

"He's just grouchy today. You should take advantage of it." Willow winked at Dru.

"So true. He's rarely in this foul a mood, and it's always such a treat when he is."

"I'll sleep in my room tonight."

"You could always watch."

"I usually do, but I'm wiped out."

"Give us a kiss good-night."

Willow gave Drusilla a peck then climbed up to bed. Within minutes she was soothed to sleep by Dru's ecstatic cries. A smile on her lips at the thought of Buffy's disapproval.


	16. Chapter 16

"We're going with you."

"Drusilla, they won't hurt me." Willow sighed and applied her lipstick as she glared at Spike and Drusilla. "They won't."

"We're going with you," Spike said with finality.

"Fine. But can we not kill my friends?"

"Are they?"

"Are they what?" Willow asked as Spike slipped her jacket over her shoulders.

"Your friends. I get that you were close before joining the family, but can you really say they understand you? Know who you really are?" Spike bumped her chin up. "You're a killer now. Something they deny being."

"I never said my friends were smart." Off Spike's incredulous look, "Fine. I haven't said they were smart in almost a month."

Drusilla wrapped an arm around Willow's waist as they walked out the door. "Boxes have many sides. But until you open them, they're empty."

"Dru's got a point." Spike locked the door behind them. "But if you really want them to live, we should consider leaving town. You know the Slayer will keep coming after me and Dru, and she's a Slayer. Vampires and demons kill those all the time, it's the natural order."

"I know." Willow hugged herself close to Drusilla. "But I still don't want you to kill my old friends."

* * *

"She's coming up the walk with her vampire bodyguards, but they can't enter so," Buffy turned back to the group of Giles, Janna, Oz, Xander and Cordelia, "remember keep to the I statements."

"How do we know they can't come in?" Xander asked. "They don't burn in the sun or dust when staked. Do we really know that any vampire rules apply to them?"

There was no chance to answer, Willow knocked on the door. Buffy hid her worried look and opened the door. "Willow, thank you for coming."

"Sure, Buffy." Willow walked in and when Buffy tried to close the door, Spike's hand reached in and stopped her.

"Now be nice, Slayer, or we won't be." Spike followed Willow in and Drusilla follow him.

"Ooh I can feel the tightwire, all taut and strung high." Drusilla leaned to whisper in Willow's ear, "I can walk it, no worries, deary."

Willow smiled at Dru and then the group. "You wanted me here, and I'm here."

"Have a seat, Willow, please." Giles gestured to the empty cozy chair.

She sat down while Spike and Dru leaned against the wall. Drusilla was excited for the show, while Spike kept an air of disinterest, picking at his nail polish.

Buffy sat on the arm of the couch and started the intervention. "Willow, I feel that you need help, professional help, to heal from your trauma."

"And what makes you think I need or want this so called professional help?"

"Willow you said that my mother was at fault for her own death. You blame victims and think murder is necessary for the survival of the planet." Buffy took a deep breath and reminded her to stick to I statements. "I see how hard it was for you being held captive by Angelus, and I think if you spent time with other humans, you'd see…"

"See what? That the world isn't black and white but a muddle of smog and corruption?" Willow crossed her arms over her chest.

"You're the one that's been corrupted," Cordelia snorted.

"She's not wrong," Spike muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

"She's wonderfully straightforward." Dru smiled at Cordelia, making the cheerleader sink back into the couch.

"You're right she's not wrong with her words, but she's off base with the idea that she and the rest of them haven't been."

Giles cleared his throat. "Willow, I understand how you could think that, but you're still young and have a lifetime to learn how the world works. Please don't make any rash decisions now."

"I'm not being rash. I'm being practical."

Janna reached out for Willow's hand, and Willow accepted it. "We love you so much. All we want is for you to open yourself up to us again."

"I'd love to still be friends with all of you, but none of you have a single idea of who I am. You lost that ability when you left me with Angelus."

"We couldn't find you," Xander said. "There's a difference."

"We weren't hiding," Spike said. "Angelus, Dru, and I went out feeding every night. We weren't subtle about it either. How long did it take for you to figure that out and follow Angelus home? A month?"

"We tried…" Oz began but Drusilla cut him off.

"Liar! Cherrywise, I don't like the sneaky self blind mice." She circled her arms around Willow's neck.

Willow grasped Dru's hands. "We'll leave soon."

Dru stood up but left her hands on the back of Willow's chair. "Let them speak their half truths and rot."

"Willow," Buffy said. "Please stay with us. We want you to remember that we're family."

With narrow eyes, Willow said, "You should have thought of that when you traded my life away in favor of hoping Angelus wouldn't hurt me. It wouldn't have mattered how much you hurt him or Spike and Dru. It's not like it could have gotten worse. There's only so much pain you can feel before you make a pact with it to stop hurting and enjoy it."

"Daddy spit out the pretties and gave them to you, did he not?" Drusilla asked.

Words failed Buffy because she didn't understand what Drusilla was talking about.

"The polaroids, you stupid cow."

"I was trying to protect her."

"Isn't it interesting how me and Dru actually did protect her?"

Xander threw one of Buffy's shoeboxes at Spike. "You call that protecting her?"

Drusilla glared at him. "We kept her alive, chest ticking and full of breezes."

"Willow, are you sure you don't want these morons in the ground?" Spike rested a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure." Willow stood up. "But I'm done talking to them."

"Willow wait!"

"Just shut up. You let people die rather than come for me." At all the shocked expressions Willow scoffed. "She didn't tell you that did she?"

"Willow!" Buffy yelled trying to cut Willow off.

"No. You're so self-righteous, but in reality you're just as selfish as any demon. Spike drained a girl right in front of you. Angelus turned three people with you watching. You were so bent that you let him bite you, too. Stop acting like I'm the crazy one when you're worse... hypocrite."

Giles stepped in front of Willow when she took a step for the door. "Please Willow, whatever, mistakes Buffy may have made, we all wanted-want you home safe."

Buffy noticed for the first time that Spike and Dru were wearing rings that matched the one that Willow came home wearing. "Giles, Willow will never see reason. She's made her choice. Let her go."

Spike, Drusilla, and Willow started for the door, but then Drusilla stopped and spun around. "I almost forgot." She grabbed two of Xander's fingers and broke them. When he stopped screaming, her voice was full of tight disdain. "That's for killing my Daddy."

With an arm blocking Buffy, Giles kept her from attacking Dru. "She could kill us all. Let it go."

"I think my bird is finally learning a modicum of control." Spike grinned at Willow as they walked out of the house, not bothering to close it behind them. "You're good for her. Now let's get out of here. I'm in the mood for a road trip. How does Brazil sound?"

Drusilla clapped her hands. "Rio! Cherrywise will love it! The people are so warm and ripe."

Willow shrugged with a coy smile. "I'm game."


End file.
